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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421727">Aversion to Iron</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moji964/pseuds/moji964'>moji964</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Do not trust me. I am an unreliable narrator. ;), Fae!Grian, Fairy, Oh god there’s lore now, Supernatural Elements, There’s death. But I’ll make it better!, There’s so much angst, Winged!Grian, angst with...positive? ending, fae, im adding tags as i go, season 7, theres also so many cliffhangers., watch as they all slowly get more and more out of character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:35:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moji964/pseuds/moji964</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the past he's been running from is shoved into his face and secrets revealed, Grian's forced back into a world he thought he long since escaped.</p><p>He’s a prankster and good at flying, this was bound to happen eventually.</p><p>This fic has a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0gcIDQJ62bXpntvHrsIa4m8vluaT_p8</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>no. Don’t ship real people.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>924</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he first stumbled into the world, he had his wings, his smirk, and his aversion to iron.</p><p>The first two could easily be explained away...the last one often threw the other hermits for a loop- iron was in practically everything. So when Grian died a lot in the beginning of the week and stuck with leather armour that he dyed fun colours, everyone chalked it up to a weird quirk. The guy preferred leather because it could be dyed bright pink. Sure why not.</p><p>But when he had to ask for help placing a cauldron, or a piston, or anvils, or winced when someone hit him with an iron sword for the head hunt Cleo set up, that was when they started to get suspicious.</p><p>Of course- they never asked. Doing so would be rude.<br/>
But then Larry suddenly grew a moustache and Mumbos base suddenly blinked under a mop of sandy blond hair, well. Grian did have a reputation of pranking- naturally it’d be tied back to him.</p><p>And when Scar and Mumbo came to ask what was up, well... the fae cannot lie after all. So he just didn’t say anything as he flew off to gather more resources, a small smirk on his lips. As he flew away on dragonfly-like wings, Scar shot Mumbo a look- that maybe things were more than just a weird quirk.</p><p>Grian managed handling iron- see- he wrapped his hands in vines as he held his pickaxe, just in case the iron accidentally hit his skin. Which would likely strike the others as odd but then again, Grian didn’t really mine with anyone else so he shouldn’t get caught. The vines made it awkward and unwieldy to mine, but if he could do it to gather diamonds, then by god he’d do it.</p><p>He just needed to find diamonds was all. Then he’d be in the clear- carrying diamond gear was normal. He wouldn’t be seen as weird for avoiding iron as much as he did.</p><p>As he got back to his hobbit hole (how funny it was- a faerie living in the ground) and tossed his iron pick aside and the vines in a composter, he didn’t bother putting the materials he gathered away. He just flopped into bed and waited to fall asleep.</p><p>Which is why the sound of redstone firing was very confusing. Not to mention being ejected out of bed, but suddenly finding oneself in an iron bar prison was startling enough.</p><p>“Did we get him?”</p><p>“I mean, I think so? I dunno who else would sleep in his bed.” </p><p>The sound of footsteps shuffled around him. He saw a familiar moustached face peer in between the bars as Scar poked his head around Mumbo.<br/>
“Yeah it’s him.”</p><p>Grian frowned at the muffled voices, a hand pressing against the a bar before he recoiled in shock.<br/>
They trapped him.<br/>
In iron bars, no less.</p><p>Maybe it was because Mumbo had an excess? Yeah, that had to be it- they didn’t know he wasn’t human.</p><p>And then the runes lit up.</p><p>
  <em> Ah crap. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He didn’t want to jump to conclusions about it Grian.</p><p>He really wanted to believe him.<br/>
But when his house (and friend) sprouted a magnificent moustache, Scar had to draw the line.<br/>
Rerouting a zombie spawner to dump the undead into his front yard in the first week, he could allow. Pulling that prank off was just a matter of dedication.</p><p>But the moustache. <em>That</em> required magic.</p><p>And Scar certainly didn’t do it himself. Stress didn’t seem the pranking type either, Iskall was too busy wrangling villagers, and Mumbo was off being a gremlin in the jungle.<br/>
Which left Grian.<br/>
He was the only one who could, really. He was close enough to Scars base as none of them had the artificial wings they all desired and the history of pranking.</p><p>So it had to be Grian.<br/>
And Grian wasn’t magical. Was he?<br/>
You’d think someone with magic could not die every five seconds, or to iron golems as much as he did- wait.</p><p>Iron golems. The prankster hated iron, going out of his way to not touch it. Armour could be debated, but he literally asked Scar to place anvils on his manor more than once. That had to mean something.</p><p>It was a hunch, really. All he was following was a few random ideas, quirks that didn’t quite line up. Scar ran to his small library, flicking through the books written in runes until he found the one he wanted. A small book, the red colour faded from age, spine cracked and the leather creased. The runes were handwritten, crammed into the thin pages to take up as much space as it could.<br/>
And he found a page, detailed drawings of wings, ears, a face that was too pretty to be human- markings of the fae.<br/>
There was a circle of runes, too, though the explanation was lost to the tiny writing and Scar was mixing up words in the dim light. He figured it was important all the same, slotting in a bookmark as he closed the book.</p><p> </p><p>Right. Research done.<br/>
Red. There was a reason the book was red. The colour made it so that the fae couldn’t see it.</p><p>So Scar took some leather armour and dyed it the vibrant hue and then stood in Grians base.<br/>
He was testing a theory.</p><p>And when Grian walked by, wings shimmering in the light, he didn’t smile at Scar. Didn’t wave with a cheery “hello!” or a devious smirk.</p><p>Didn’t notice Scar until he tripped over a chest on his way out and fell to the ground in a cacophony of noise.</p><p>“Oh! Hi Scar! Whatcha doin here?” He asked, finally noticing the wizard.</p><p>From the heap on the floor, Scar stammered out “Looking around.” before he righted himself and booked it out of there.</p><p>He was right. Good god, his theory was right. Grian wasn’t human.<br/>
God, he needed help.</p><p>And somehow, he found himself in front of Mumbos blinking base.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The eyes would have been unnerving enough  if the <em>didn’t</em> blink. But they did.<br/>
And that little difference somehow made it about 20 times worse.</p><p>Mumbo couldn’t get rid of them either. Not only was the idea terrifying but he physically couldn’t get close enough to the eyes to get them off his house.<br/>
Truth be told, they didn’t do much besides sit there and be creepy, so he could live with it.</p><p>If he lived in his house with a blindfold.</p><p>Mumbo sighed, kicking the minecart down the track, watching it go until it turned around the bend on its merry little way to Grian’s house. He asked Scar for help with the eyes but the poor wizard was clueless. So the next step was to ask the resident prankster and pray that he’d have a way on how to get rid of them.<br/>
Hopefully Grian got the message and would meet up with him soon. Mumbo wasn’t sure but the eyes might have just winked at him.</p><p>Which somehow made the situation even worse.</p><p>Mumbo sighed and pushed his hair out of his face, staring into the sky as he envisioned the massive spires that would hold up his base.<br/>
Yeah...4- no 8 of them, in a circle? Or would an octagon be easier? He grabbed some stone and set to work laying out a shape. Straight lines felt easier, so he went for the octogon rather than suffer with circles.</p><p>It went surprisingly smooth, losing himself to the rhythm until he ran out of supplies. Frowning, he glanced up at his progress- and barely half the shape was finished. He’d need a lot more than he initially though.</p><p>Whatever- it was a start. As he turned back to his hobbit hole, he noticed Scar come running through the forest.</p><p>And then run straight into a stick of bamboo and fall flat on his back.</p><p>“Scar?” He asked gently, climbing up the hill to the wizard. “Two things- are you okay? And why are you in leather armour?”</p><p>“Hi Mumbo. Erm. Can you help me with a trap?”</p><p>Mumbo stopped in his tracks, surprised at the request. Most people came to him for redstone help, and while a trap is <em>technically</em> redstone, it was a bit of an odd ask.<br/>
“I’m sorry whAT?” </p><p>“Yeah, a trap. Grian made Larry grow a moustache. I want to get back at him.” Scar explained. It felt...wrong to hide the truth from Mumbo but he wasn’t positive about his theory. He needed more than a few similarities to be sure.</p><p>“I mean, at least he didn’t steal mine this time. Though I think he added eyes to my base.” Mumbo stuck his thumb over his shoulder to where the base was nestled into the hillside. “I’d invite you in to speak, but it’s unnerving so I won’t subject you to that.”</p><p>“So you’ll help me?”</p><p>“Yeah. What are you planning to do to him after he’s trapped?”</p><p>“I...don’t know.” He admitted, suddenly interested in studying the floor.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it yet. I’ve still got to design the trap after all.” Mumbo said, gently bumping Scar in the shoulder. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”</p><p>Scar nodded, moving to walk away before he remembered. “Oh- one last thing Mumbo. Use iron.”</p><p>“Iron? Erm- okay. You’re lucky I have an iron farm in that case.”</p><p>“Wait you never explained why you’re in leather armour! Goodness me people call <em>me</em> the spoon!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Anyone have ideas on what to do to Grian once they get him?</p><p>I have a few but they don’t Vibe Well.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>oh god there’s lore in this world now. this was meant to be a oneshot how did this happen.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The preparations took ages. </p><p>Scar didn’t exactly give Mumbo a clear explanation as to <em>why</em> he had to use iron, but by god was he going to follow that order to the extreme.</p><p>So when the wizard saw the prototype, the circuitry looked more like a hunk of iron rather than a functioning circuit. But Mumbo tested it, double checked the wiring and made sure it worked before it memorised it, tore it down, and built it in Grians base while the prankster was working on his manor.</p><p>Scar also insisted that Mumbo wear red for reasons beyond him, but Scar was insistent and seemed panicky when he found out Mumbo went to Grians base without the colour...so best to wear it, he decided.</p><p>“It’s done.” He announced in hushed tones as he climbed the ladder into Larrys shell.<br/>
And proof of his work was on him- his hair was sticking out in 15 different directions, redstone dust stuck in parts of it. His hands were covered in the dust as well, his fingertips a bit pinker than usual. Iron shards glittered on his clothes, remnants of him breaking and remaking the circuits until they were perfect.</p><p>Scar took one look at Mumbo and nodded. “Can you deactivate for now? I still need to prepare.”</p><p>“Prepare what? You asked me to make a trap man.” Mumbo half-laughed, “I mean, I can reroute some of the circuitry to an external power source so it locks the pistons in an unpowered state-“ he rambled, quickly becoming lost in his own head.</p><p>Scar waved a hand in front of the redstoner a face “Mumbo? Mumbo. Earth to Bumbo Big Baggins.” </p><p>“Oh- Sorry. Right- I can turn it off for now. Just let me know when you need it on, okay?” He said before heading back to the contraption to deactivate it.</p><p>The wizard nodded with a soft sigh, turning away from Mumbo to find that red book again.</p><p>Something about that circle of runes felt important and he studied it late into the night. The runes weren’t mentioned in any other book he had, nor any reference was made to it. It seemed the only place it appeared was crammed onto the page of an unmarked red book.<br/>
In fact, the more he studied the runes, the less certain he was that they were familiar ones. That shape looked similar, but it was ever-so-slightly wrong, the line down too long or slanted the opposite direction. And that one looked familiar too...but it was backwards? The entire matter was confusing, these slightly-off runes used only for this circle and <em>still</em> no explanation as to what it did.</p><p>This was hopeless. Scar set the book aside and shrugged on the leather armour again. He had a notebook this time- ready to simply watch Grian. See if he slipped up somehow. Reveal a tad bit too much and give himself away.</p><p>Scar was so close to being positive- he just needed one last thing, one last piece of proof. One last reassurance that he was right, that his neighbor wasn’t human, that he was fae.<br/>
That he wasn’t from this world and should be sent back.<br/>
There was a reason magic was scarce in the world now. The wizard sighed at the memory before shaking his head as if to clear it.</p><p>Besides there was no reason to dwell on the past. After countless hours and sleepless days, Scar had his proof.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, here’s a fun question- seelie or unseelie?</p><p>And yes- your answer will affect this story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At last.<br/>
Finally, after hours of watching and waiting, of studying Grian build his manor and gather resources.<br/>
He finally slipped up.</p>
<p>Honestly, how did Scar not notice it before? It seemed so obvious now that he knew.<br/>
Grians ears were pointed.</p>
<p>The wizard saw them as he watched Grian push his hair off his face, tired from digging up gravel in the mountains.<br/>
Maybe the angle was just right, or the wind blew the right way at the right time. Maybe it was luck.</p>
<p>But it didn’t change the fact that Scar <em>saw</em>. He saw, clear as day, that Grians ears ended in a neat point, small enough that his hair could hide it.</p>
<p>He let out a gasp before his hand flew to cover his mouth- afraid that the faerie would see him now.<br/>
And Grian’s head did snap in Scars direction, but the wizard was already gone, climbed down from the hill and took off running towards Larry.</p>
<p>Granted it was a long run, and in the moment he forgot that nether portals existed, but he wasn’t going back now.</p>
<p>As the sun rose, Scar kept walking towards his giant snail, reaching his destination around noon. And while he wanted to do nothing more than fall asleep, he had work to do.</p>
<p>So the little red book came out of the shelves again. Call it a theory, but those runes were important for making this plan work. Yes, following unknown runes in a book was a bad idea, but it was all Scar had. So he’d take it.</p>
<p>Without a second thought, he grabbed a piece of red chalk and the leather armour and snuck his way into Grian’s base.</p>
<p>It was easy to draw the odd runes. A practiced hand made the task nice and easy, standing up and pocketing the chalk quickly, walking around to ensure that everything was set. Grian shouldn’t notice the giant magic circle on his floor that looked more like a cult summoning circle than....whatever these runes were. 
Well. He shouldn’t notice the runes because they were red. And runes don’t make noise so they should stay hidden. Like any red inanimate object.
Seriously, Grian had lost his sweater more times than he could count- and now Scar knew why.</p>
<p>Professor Beak started chirping at the sound of familiar footsteps and Scar panicked before squishing himself inside the body of the grandfather clock and prayed it wouldn’t wack him with the pendulum.<br/>
Listen. He wasn’t the smartest when it came to hiding places.</p>
<p>Twisting around awkwardly, the wizard pulled out his phone, sending Mumbo a message telling him to activate the trap. While wearing red, of course.</p>
<p>And barely five minutes later, Mumbo was sneaking through Grian’s base in full leather armour as the prankster was there, sorting his chests. Props to him and all for establishing a sorting system
, but Mumbo was slightly more worried about being seen.</p>
<p>He carefully made his way to his machine, breaking the line of redstone dust rather than flipping the lever like he had initially planned to do. Grian would definitely hear the click of a lever through the floorboards. 
He may have not been a good mole last time during the Civil War, but this time he was physically crawling in the dirt. That had to count for something.</p>
<p>He sighed softly, taking out his phone to message Scar before deciding against it. The wizard might not have silenced his phone- and that would <em>definitely</em> alert Grian. So Mumbo crawled in the dirt some more until he found himself outside by a lake and made his way back to find and tell Scar the trap was primed.</p>
<p>And honestly, finding the wizard curled up in the grandfather clock was a weird sight but he seemed happy that Mumbo was there.</p>
<p>Mumbo, on the other hand, was not happy to be covered in dirt and pebbles from sneaking out from underneath Grian’s floor. But all the same, he pointed to the bed and nodded at Scar with a thumbs up, wordlessly telling him that it was set.</p>
<p>It was still early afternoon, and both Scar and Mumbo sighed in relief when Grian finally left, muttering something about needing more materials. The tension in the room immediately disappeared, and Mumbo instantly addressed the elephant in the room.</p>
<p>“Why are you inside a clock.”</p>
<p>Scar gave a small, embarrassed chuckle, wiggling out of his cramped position. “I Uhh..panicked. It seemed like the best hiding spot.”</p>
<p>“Riiiigt. Well anyway, it’s primed, and I don’t know about you, but I think we should make a proper place to hole up rather than hide inside the clock.” Mumbo suggested, already starting to dig behind the nether portal so any noises they made would be drowned out by the obnoxious sounds spewing from said portal.</p>
<p>“I wholeheartedly agree.” He smiled, grabbing his own pickaxe and set to work next to Mumbo, blocking up the entrance behind them so nothing looked out of place. “And now, we wait.”</p>
<p>Mumbo nodded, “And now we wait.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m surprised- Seelie won out, but it was pretty close. </p>
<p>I will be doing something with the other court, but it won’t play as major of a role now.<br/>Maybe. Probably.<br/>This way, I hopefully can make the people who voted Unseelie happy too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Seriously, thank you guys for reading this. It means a lot to me that you enjoy what I write. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Got any sand?” Scar asked, sitting on the floor, a bunch of random items hidden from Mumbo in a shulker box. Mumbo had a similar setup and a dropper sat between them with a button haphazardly wired into the side.</p><p>Mumbo looked into his shulker box before shaking his head. “No. Go Fish.”</p><p>They made Go-Fish of course. Because they were waiting to hear the pistons fire during their little stake out from inside the wall and things got boring really fast.<br/>
Scar sighed and pressed the button, the dropper spitting out a lily pad while Mumbo respectfully averted his eyes so as to not cheat.<br/>
And of course, they were using random items because they didn’t have cards. Ingenious, really.</p><p>Just as Mumbo was about to ask for granite, he sat up suddenly and pressed his ear to the wall, game abandoned for now.<br/>
Footsteps- followed by a clang of a tool hitting the ground. There was the sound of armour rustling and then the <em>very</em> sudden noise of pistons firing.</p><p>Mumbo smiled to himself. “Did we get him?” He asked Scar who noticed Mumbos sudden excitement and had his own ear against the wall.</p><p>“I mean, I think so? I dunno who else would sleep in his bed.” Scar shrugged, stepping back as Mumbo mined away the wall before him.</p><p>The redstoner peeked our and stared at Grian in the trap, his hands over his ears as he tried to calm down from the startling sound of pistons.<br/>
“Yeah it’s him.” He nodded back to Scar.</p><p>The wizard crossed his fingers, hoping the runes did something. And they did, lighting up red before fading to a light blue colour.</p><p>“M-Mumbo? Scar?” Grian asked, tilting his head at the duo. “Is this revenge? I’m sorry.” He grinned, clearly uncomfortable with the amount of iron around him but trying to play it off as normal.</p><p>“I just built it, I don’t know what the runes are for.” Mumbo admitted sheepishly.</p><p>“Is now a bad time to say that I don’t know what they do?”</p><p>Both Mumbo and Grian stared at Scar.<br/>
“You’re joking, right. You’re kidding- you drew runes that you didn’t know on my floor and trapped me in the middle of them- are you <em>kidding me?!!?</em>” Grian snapped. It was rare to see him genuinely angry.</p><p>And as he spoke, something...weird happened. The air around him seemed to shimmer, after images following Grians movements as he gestured wildly in the cage. </p><p>Scar recognised it.</p><p>Mumbo did not. “Scar- what on Earth is happening? What have you gotten me into?” He asked as he glanced between Grian and Scar, both of which were intently staring at the other.</p><p>“Wait Mumbo- he didn’t tell you what he was doing?” Grian gave a low whistle, “That’s low, Scar.”</p><p>Scar had the decency to look ashamed of himself.<br/>
“I’m sorry- I just. I needed help. I didn’t want to do this alone.”</p><p>“Would either of you <em>please</em> tell me what’s going on?!”</p><p>“He’s not human, Mumbo.” Scar said softly, the words freezing in the air before shattering to the ground and breaking the moment.</p><p>The air around Grian seemed to change. His ears grew even more pointed, eyes melting from brown to a bright green, his wings seemed to grow bigger as well, gaining an iridescence they didn’t have before. He was still Grian, but there was something else about him- an otherworldly-ness that they couldn’t describe.</p><p>Grian sighed, stretching his wings behind him as the glamour faded away completely.<br/>
“Guess the jig is up. Nice to meet you properly.” He gave a mock bow. “You already know my name. But yours?” He tilted his head as he stood up, hand outstretched. “For the sake of making this proper.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ehehehheehhe</p><p> </p><p>Thank you Tekopyhyys for the amazing art!!! <br/>https://twitter.com/Tekopyhyys/status/1247231842446606337</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Y’all thought I’d make it easy to get their True Names. :P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo promptly cut Grian off. “Wait, wait wait wait. What do you mean ‘the jig is up?’ What are you on about, Grian? Nothing changed about you.” He frowned, staring at the fae. </p><p>Grians eyes went wide as he realised what Mumbo just said. Or more accurately, the implications of what Mumbo has said. “You have the Sight.”</p><p>“Yes I have sight, I can see normally.” He shot back a confused frown on his face.</p><p>“No- <em>the</em> Sight. You can see through glamour and faerie magic without help.” </p><p>The redstoner tilted his head. “I don’t understand? You’re a...faerie?”</p><p>Grian whistled and nodded slowly, going to lean against a wall before recoiling at the burn. Damn these iron bars.</p><p>“It’s a lot to explain, Mumbo. It’d probably be best for a different day.” Scar stepped in, still giving Grian a meaningful glare. “As for you- don’t think I didn’t forget what your people did to my world.”</p><p>“You mean to pin the blame of my entire species onto me?”</p><p>Scar swallowed his fear, speaking lowly with false confidence, his staff pointing at the faerie even as his hands shook  “If that’s what it takes, then yes.” </p><p>“You do realise I won’t go easily, right?”</p><p>The wizard nodded, his staff lowering as he trembled before a person he wanted to call his friend. But the war over magic- and the subsequent disappearance of it from his world- he couldn’t forgive it. Not when so many used it for good. Not when so much of their civilisation relied on magic.</p><p>Not when the faeries stole it.</p><p>So he couldn’t forgive them. He couldn’t look at Grian anymore and see the Jungle Bandit, wearing a silly bird mask. How much was Grian lying? How much of his personality was an act?<br/>
Was Grian even his name?<br/>
“I understand, faerie.” He said softly. “But you know why I’m doing this too.”</p><p>Grian nodded. “So we know where we both stand.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“I wish it wasn’t this way. I enjoyed your friendship, Scar.”</p><p>“Same. It was nice while it lasted.”</p><p>“What on earth is going on- why are you two talking like you’re never going to see each other again?” Mumbo spoke up, following the conversation and having absolutely no clue what any of it meant.</p><p>“Not now, Mumbo.” Scar and Grian said at practically the same time, sharing a small laugh before sadness turned the sound bitter.</p><p>“So what do you mean to do with me?” Grian asked as he sat on the floor (which was thankfully stone) and awkwardly folded his wings behind him so they didn’t brush against the iron. “Those runes did nothing more than force me to drop the glamour, you know.” He added, tracing a finger through the dust.</p><p>“I’ll figure that out once I get Mumbo out of here.” Scar said, taking Mumbo by the hand and leading him to Larry. “It’s my fault he’s in this mess to begin with.”<br/>
Grian didn’t look up as their footsteps faded away, not seeing Mumbo cast a worried glance over his shoulder.</p><p>Grian looked so small in the cage, wings drooping behind him and bored out of his mind. He was still the same person from before. So what if Grian was fae? It didn’t matter- he had done so much for all of the hermits, helping them get used to being runaways. Shelter them until they felt safe. Welcome others who wanted to run from their past. It was why they called themselves “Hermits” after all- just a group of people looking for a safe place to hide from their demons.<br/>
And this? Trapping Grian? That was the opposite of everything the group stood for.</p><p>“Feel free to flip through any of my books. I’ll do my best to explain once I get back, okay?” Scars voice cut though his thoughts. </p><p>Mumbo nodded solemnly, sitting at a table and watching the birds fly by Scars window until he got back. It was weird, going through someone’s home despite having their permission. So he made do with watching the world through the window, questioning how much of the world he actually knew.</p><p>Scar hurried back to Grians base to deal with Grian, expecting it to be something along the lines of speaking with each other now that Mumbo wasn’t involved.</p><p>He did not expect to find thick vines making their way through the windows, doors, the cracks between wooden planks, or emerging from the floorboards. It looked as if his base had aged a century within the moments it took Scar to walk to Larry and back . Thousands of vines covered Grians base, breaking the floorboards into an obstacle course and upending chests, items spilling out onto the floor. The vines all twisted their way to the trap where the runes were nothing more than dust, brushed away by the plants and the iron bars were broken apart.</p><p>Grian was nowhere to be found.</p><p>He should have expected this, honestly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Instead I’ve made it so much worse.<br/>Aha! Have some Lore!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Part of him debated throwing the glamour back on and pretend like the day didn’t happen. But of course- the other hermits would gather and gossip, and Grian’s whereabouts were bound to be spilled by accident. And when Scar would find Grian again, it was sure to end in a fight.</p><p>So he simply flew, leaving behind the jungle and his manor for now, smiling at the feeling of being free. He didn’t have to hide anymore, paranoia making him check over his shoulder out of fear of being found out. Grian thought he played the part well, keeping his secret safe.</p><p>He had thought that secrets stayed buried once no one was around to tell them, but apparently not. Or maybe he was just careless. Too suspicious- too inhuman to fit in.</p><p>Grian laughed.<br/>Of course he didn’t fit in with the humans. He wasn’t one. Fooling himself to even try was a sisyphean task. Someone would eventually find out, and lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened.</p><p>He sighed. It was nice while it lasted, at least. Having friends to laugh about with felt almost like his court. The halls were always full of laughter and mirth, easy smiles passed from faerie to faerie.<br/>It made forgetting what the Unseelie court did easier. The noise kept the memories at bay, locked tight in their own corner of his mind.</p><p>And now he was alone and the thoughts crept back, slowly at first until the floodgates opened and it all came rushing at him.</p><p>In a bid to gain control, Thorn had ordered the Seelie Queen to be killed. That’s where it all started. So it was the Unseelie’s fault, really. They couldn’t be trusted.</p><p>They found their Queen, immobile and wingless, hidden from the world in a locked room. Grian had been among the group that found her and discovered she had been poisoned. Naturally, they rushed her back to their healers. They were her best chance of living.</p><p>But whatever Feather had been poisoned with, none of the healers could find an antidote- and so their Queen died, forcing the two courts to become one again, with the Unseelie King, Thorn, in charge.</p><p>Naturally none of the Seelie court wanted to obey, and so they fought back- tried to get someone to step up as the new ruler of the Seelie court to contest Thorn.</p><p>No one did. <br/>And Grian watched as his friends were forced to submit, flee, or die.<br/>A familiar face flashed in his mind as he watched it contort in pain as a guard tore their wings off, leaving them flightless.</p><p>Grian winced, closing his eyes at the vision and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He wiped his eyes, distantly aware that he was crying.</p><p>He’d blame them on the rising sun, he thought with a bitter smile.</p><p>Well. He wasn’t lying- he could blame his tears on the sunrise. That was a perfectly reasonable thing to do at midnight.</p><p>Right?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It’s like a package deal! Angst and lore at the same time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somehow, he knew Grian would be back. So when the initial shock of finding the cage empty faded away, Scar made his way back to Larry.</p><p>He was greeted with a small wave from Mumbo before the man went back to staring out the window.</p><p>“Would you like tea?” Scar asked gently, setting a kettle over the fireplace all the same.<br/>Mumbo didn’t reply and Scar sighed woefully.<br/>“You must have a lot of questions, right? If you want me to, I can try my best to answer them.”</p><p>“He escaped, didn’t he.” Came Mumbo’s curt reply, the words frosty and cold.</p><p>Scar gulped and nodded. “Vines cover his base now. He used them to break the bars.”</p><p>“Good for him.<br/>“I’m not happy that you used me like that, Scar.” Mumbo said as he turned around slowly to face the wizard. “I only agreed because he pranked my house too. I thought you were planning a prank in retaliation. Not this entire mess.” He sighed. </p><p>Scar was silent, suddenly feeling very guilty for his actions. He didn’t think, didn’t know that it would lead to this. And now Grian was missing and it was because Scar didn’t know when to stop. Grian was missing because of Scar. The other hermits would hate him. Mumbo probably already does.</p><p>Ignorant to Scars thoughts, Mumbo continued. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were gonna do? Why did you lie to my face like that?” He wasn’t yelling. In fact, his words were so quiet that they could barely be heard. And yet, somehow, they carried anyway, the disappointment and confusion etched into every sound that poured from his lips, etched into the expression he wore.<br/>“I thought you were a good person, Scar. Was I wrong?”</p><p>That did it. Scar bit his lip as silent tears fell down his face. He didn’t bother to wipe them away. He really messed up, didn’t he?<br/>“B-before you judge me t-too harshly.” He started, tripping over his words as he cried.<br/>“At least hear where I’m coming from?”</p><p>Mumbo looked about the room, taking in all the small details of the space, purposefully avoiding looking at Scar. Letting out a sigh, he finally met the wizards eyes and sat down, recognising the olive branch and accepting it.</p><p>“My world was full of magic. Some of it was stored away, but most of it was used to run massive cities with schools for us to study it. We were dependent on magic to keep us going from day to day. It was how we worked, I guess.</p><p>“I was part of a guild- a group of wizards who used our magic to help those who were weaker. Usually this meant fighting, but sometimes it was small jobs, like finding a missing pet, or gathering resources that they couldn’t. We used our magic for good. <br/>“If someone got hurt, we had healers to fix them. If someone went missing, we could usually track their magic to find them. Sometimes bandits would try to fight us, and we had to fight back, but we meant good. We helped others. We helped those in need.” Scar said softly, pouring Mumbo a cup of tea and then one for himself before he sat down.</p><p>“One day, the sky tore open and dozens and dozens of winged people came through it. They called themselves “faeries.” The one who looked in charge was a tall man, with a crown of dying flowers on his head and armour made of twigs and leaves. He had an army of faeries behind him, most of them with crude weapons and dark wings. For no reason at all, he just pointed towards my guild hall and the faeries flew at it, tearing it to the ground.<br/>“I don’t know what they did to my guild mates, but they were different. Their eyes were hollow, emotionless, not a spark of life in them. They were alive, sure, but it was like they had their personalities stolen. They couldn’t do magic. They could barely muster the energy to speak.<br/>“And when one flew at me, pinned me to the ground as its eyes grew wide, I think the only reason I was okay was because my magic isn’t inside me. It’s in the tools I use, so the faerie didn’t take anything from me.” Scar pulled out a handful of small crystals and set them on the table. “See- my magic is in these. I use them as foci for my staff so I can cast spells.” He explained before pocketing them again.</p><p>“The faeries came to my world and stole magic from everyone they could. Those of us left who could fight weren’t strong enough to do so.<br/>“Most people went into hiding. They acted like the hollow, empty people that roamed the streets. I ran. Used a good portion of my magic to escape to here and never look back.” Scar finished, looking down at his cup as his words trailed off into a whisper.</p><p>Mumbo studied Scar with an unreadable expression before speaking softly.<br/>“So that’s why you acted like that to Grian.”</p><p>Scar nodded.</p><p>“I’m guessing Grian has a similarly sad story. He seemed sad to end his friendship with you- I doubt he wouldn’t have felt that way if that wasn’t the case.” Mumbo said. “So while I understand why you did what you did, I can’t stand with you.”</p><p>The wizard looked up at Mumbo, betrayal clear as day in his eyes. He thought that Mumbo would understand, would believe him and support his actions.</p><p>“You forced a secret from Grian, trapped him in a cage, and lied to me just so I would help you. He’s done nothing wrong, Scar, he’s hiding from his past just as much as you, or Iskall, or Keralis, or I am.” Mumbo explained, a frown on his face. “We’re hermits after all. We look for shelter and a helping hand. You went against what we all stand for. And I can’t accept that.” He said with a sad air of finality, casting one last glance over his shoulder as he stood in the doorframe of Scars house.<br/>“Thank you for the tea.” And like that, Mumbo was gone, the door shut behind him.</p><p>Scar picked up the two cups and walked to the sink to clean them. He stared down at them, one empty with tea leaves stuck to the bottom, the other full and a dark shade of brown.<br/>Mumbo didn’t even drink his cup.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo sighed as he made his way back to his base, his mind reeling. Was he too hard on Scar? It felt cruel, but then again, the wizard never answered his questions- wouldn’t listen to logic. He felt torn. Guilty. Was he searching for reasons to justify his words or was he in the right this time? He didn’t know.</p><p>He really needed a distraction from everything that happened in the past few days but doing anything felt like too much effort.<br/>
And so he found himself sitting in a minecart, on his way to Grians base.</p><p>In the back of Mumbos mind, he knew that Grian wouldn’t be there. But maybe- just maybe- he would, and Grian would give Mumbo a huge smile and lead him around his base, showing off the build and everything could go back to how it was before.<br/>
Wouldn’t that be nice?</p><p>Mumbo shook his head to clear his thoughts, stepping out of the cart as it pulled up to Grians base. The message he sent earlier was gone. Maybe Grian was planning on helping. Before all this happened.<br/>
Mumbo steeled himself and looked up.<br/>
It looked destroyed.<br/>
The few redstone circuits Grian had build were totally wiped out by thick vines that came in through the windows and walls. Dust hung in the still air, as if the build was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen but it didn’t know what. Mumbo waved a hand through it, and it swirled away in the light.<br/>
He didn’t know why he came.<br/>
Maybe just to see for himself that Grian wasn’t here. It felt wrong to be walking about in the hobbit hole without the energetic personality of the prankster filling the air.</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Mumbo spotted Grians parrot, curled up on his perch, the vines not having disturbed it.</p><p>“Hey Professor Beak.” Mumbo said softly, reaching a hand out to the bird. “Guess he didn’t have time to grab you.” </p><p>The bird chirped, nuzzling up to his hand. “Why don’t you come stay with me? We can wait for him to come back together.” He offered, letting Professor Beak make himself comfortable on his shoulder before moving on. He chirped happily once he was situated and Mumbo suppressed a giggle.<br/>
“Impatient, just like he is.<br/>
“Let’s go see the damage, okay?” </p><p>Yes, he was aware that he was talking to a parrot, but it was better than going mad on his own. He felt like he couldn’t trust Scar and no one else knew what happened. Mumbo was caught between worlds, stuck with knowledge no one else possessed and an inability to act.</p><p>“Hey Professor Beak? Did you know about Grian? Could you see what he really was?” Mumbo asked, not really expecting an answer. The bird tilted his head at Mumbo, letting out a chirp and went back to preening his feathers.<br/>
“I’ll take that as a no.”</p><p>The trap was destroyed, vines bursting through the floor and decimating the circuitry, twisting around the bars until they snapped open to let the faerie out.<br/>
Mumbo walked around the cage as if it held the answers he was looking for, uncertain what question he was even searching to answer.</p><p>But something caught his eye.<br/>
There, glittering on the floor of the cage right where Grian was tracing lines in the dust, were runes that hadn’t been there before.</p><p>They swam in Mumbos mind and he frowned at them. It was something Grian left behind, but why? No one else could see the message, and Mumbo couldn’t read it.</p><p>And then somehow, inexplicably, it clicked, and Mumbo could understand the runes. They felt familiar in a way he couldn’t describe.</p><p><em>“Come find me.”</em> followed by a set of coordinates.</p><p>Mumbo smiled, scritching under the parrots beak. “Well  that settles that, then. Guess we need to get ourselves some wings, don’t we Professor Beak?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mumbo found himself a friend! :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hanging out with Iskall wasn’t as relaxing as Mumbo wanted it to be. For one, the duo was in another dimension where one slip up meant falling into the void. The other half was that Mumbo didn’t know what to say. He wanted to vent to someone, ask another person for advice on what to do about Scar and the weird runes on Grians floor and that he had something called “the Sight” that no one could explain how or why...but it never felt right to bring up in the conversation.<br/>
Not to mention that Iskall was blissfully unaware of the world Mumbo had managed to find himself in and he wanted to keep it that way. If Mumbo himself could barely cope, he couldn’t imagine suddenly dumping it all onto Iskall.</p><p>“Dude, are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a lot of this end busting you know. We can head back and buy an elytra if that would be easier.” Iskall offered, standing up and leaving their precarious bridge across the void unfinished.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind is all.” Mumbo smiled, “Though you pick now of all moments to tell me we could have bought the elytra?”</p><p>“You seemed eager to hang out and I didn’t wanna burst your bubble.” Iskall grinned. “We heading back?”</p><p>“‘Are we heading back?’” Mumbo sputters “Of course we’re heading back, every city we’ve been to has been looted and it’s not worth exploring further than we already have without an elytra.”</p><p>“Fair enough.” Shrugged Iskall and he followed Mumbo back to the main island, the pair jumping into the portal together.</p><p>And so what if Jevin ended up 50 diamonds richer? How they got the elytra didn’t really matter, did it?</p><p>“Well that was a pointless endeavour.” Mumbo laughed, “But I should get back to working on my base. Thanks for joining me, dude.” He lied, offering a small wave to Iskall as he flew off rather abruptly, leaving him blinking with shock in the shopping district.</p><p>“Well <em>that</em> was abrupt.”</p><p>The redstoner headed back to his still-blinking hobbit hole, shoving basic supplies into a shulker box before heading through the nether and flying the thousands of blocks out that the coordinates demanded. It had been a few days since Grian vanished, and the mystery that he left Mumbo with only grew in his mind until the only option was to follow the faerie.</p><p>He wanted answers from someone he could trust, and the only two people who knew about the fae were Grian and Scar.<br/>
And Scar wasn’t someone who Mumbo really wanted to see currently...leaving Grian as the only person he could talk to.</p><p>So he built a portal in the right place and lit it, holding his breath as he stepped through.</p><p>Honestly, he wasn’t sure what to expect. </p><p>That was a lie- he expected Grian to be the same as always, making a new hobbit hole and simply taking up residence further away from the other hermits.</p><p>Instead, a small cottage sat high in the trees, a new jungle forest housing the faerie. It was suspended by vines that hung from the canopy, flowers blooming along the length. A garden sat near the jungle floor, wheat, pumpkins and various other crops growing there. </p><p>“So you could see it.” Grian smiled, staring down at Mumbo as he took in the environment. And Mumbo could see that Grian changed too.<br/>
His signature red sweater was replaced with a pastel blue one and his hair had grown a bit, causing him to tie it back in a tiny, curly ponytail. He seemed comfortable with his wings out, not hiding behind glamour anymore like he used to back in the old jungle.</p><p>“I figured Scar might have answered some of your questions, but I wanted to explain some things he probably doesn’t know.” Grian started, flying down to greet Mumbo. “Come in, I’ve got some coffee and sweets waiting for you.”</p><p>Mumbo smiled, following Grian up the stairs into the small cottage. He couldn’t explain how or why, but it was easier being around him. Everything felt a little bit brighter, a bit happier, livelier. Like the weight of the past week melted away and he was free to relax for once.</p><p>The fae was sat down at a table, two mugs and two plates of cookies set out, like Grian had been preparing for Mumbo to stop by. Like he knew that Mumbo would come.<br/>
“So what do you wanna know?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>GDI I MEANT TO WRITE THIS IN AND FORGOT</p><p>Mumbo 100% brought Professor Beak with him, but I’m Big Dumb and writing this at 4 am because time is not real and my brain forgot to have Mumbo bring the parrot.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How have you been?” Mumbo decided that it was the right place to start the conversation. Grian had been gone for a week and barely any of the other hermits knew why. Hell- even Mumbo followed suit, packing up the essentials of his base and leaving without explanation.</p><p>Grian leaned back in the chair, a smile on his lips. “I’ve been good, actually. It’s been easier to live out here. I can do what I want without fear of someone trying to pry open my secrets, y’know?” He reaches over and pet Professor Beak, smiling as he was reunited with his beloved bird.</p><p>Mumbo laughed at that, the sound filling the air. Things were always so...easy between them, conversation flowing between them like running water. The sunlight streaming through the window made it feel like this was straight out of a movie scene, lighting up the homely room in a way that melted the sunrays into honey and let it cast a golden light upon the floor. </p><p>“But, that’s not what I meant and you know it, Mumbo. What did Scar tell you?” Grian asked. And so Mumbo told the faerie as much as he could remember from the conversation he had, studying Grians expressions as he let the words loose into he air. When he was done, he glanced down at the coffee and took a small sip, closing his eyes and humming happily at the taste. Sweet, but not overly so, with a hint of milk.<br/>
Just how he liked it.</p><p>And so once Grian heard what Mumbo had to say, he explained his own past, of how Thorn yearned for power- for magic- so much that he stole it from other realms.</p><p>“So...the king- Thorn...went to Scars world and stole magic from the people there? And that’s why he hates the fae?” Grian nodded at Mumbos words. “But doesn’t he realise that Thorn has nothing to do with you? I mean- I know nothing of faeries, but clearly you don’t have the black wings Scar described.”</p><p>“Mumbo...you know that a lot of the Seelie court didn’t obey Thorn, right?” He started, the air suddenly sour. “Well, when we didn’t listen by choice...Thorn didn’t just let us go. He <em>forced</em> us to listen to him.”</p><p>“I don’t understand?”</p><p>Grian twisted his hands together. “What I mean is, Thorn controlled the Seelie court. Us- me. Made us listen and obey him.” </p><p>“By holding hostages? Violence? I don’t get it.”</p><p>“Mumbo. Thorn used some of the magic he stole to control us like puppets. Made us do things we didn’t want to do...like steal magic from Scars world on his behalf.”</p><p>And with that, Mumbos eyes went wide with understanding and shock, his shoulders slumping down as the weight of Grians words finally hit him and the sheer <em>guilt</em> that was on the faeries face. “Oh.” Even Professor Beak was quiet, looking between Mumbo and Grian before deciding that human (faerie?) affairs were too much for him to handle and went back to poking about for seeds to eat.</p><p>It was Grian’s turn to study someone, and he wisely picked the other person in the room, taking in his dumbfounded expression. He bit his lip, unsure if he should drop this bombshell onto the poor spoon, but he had to know.<br/>
“Hey, Mumbo. Do you remember where you’re from? Before joining the hermits, I mean.”</p><p>“Yeah- of course I do. What kinda question is that?”</p><p>“Tell me about it then.”</p><p>“I’m from a place called- called....” Mumbo stammered, closing his mouth and starting again., a frown growing on his face as confusion filled his mind.<br/>
“I’m from-“</p><p>And for the life of him, he couldn’t come up with anything.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We gettin into the deep lore now bois</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grian watched as Mumbo fumbled for words, memories <em>something</em> that told him who he was and why he was with the hermits and failed.<br/>“You know something, don’t you Grian? What do you know- <em>who am I?</em>” He asked practically shouting, standing up and looming over the fae with desperation in his eyes.</p><p>“You’re from a place called Tilbury. It’s a small town and known for its trading ports. It was small enough that most people knew everyone else and were friendly with each other.” Grian started.</p><p>“Why do you know more about me than I do?” Mumbo frowned, sitting down all the same as he was told his past. “What did you mean when you said ‘So you could see it’ when I first came? What does any of this have to do with me?”</p><p>Grian bit his lip, unsure of how to placate the redstoner outside of “I’ll get there.” which seemed to be enough for Mumbo.</p><p>“Your parents were often busy with chores, trying to find a living in the town. The other townsfolk knew this and often helped out raising you and your brother.”</p><p>“I have a brother...?”</p><p>“Yes, you did. He was older than you by a year and a few months and he did his best to help the family as well. Your brother was rather ordinary but you. Well...the fae loved to watch you.<br/>“Once they realised you could see them, they started playing with you- holding berries above your head to watch you giggle and reach for them or otherwise make silly faces at you. They <em>adored</em> you, Mumbo. They didn’t want to see you grow up out of fear that you’d lose the Sight.” Grian paused, studying Mumbo as he took it all in. Surprisingly, he seemed to be taking it well, or maybe he was too shaken to really understand the implications of Grians words. All the same, he continued.</p><p>“So they...they made sure you didn’t lose the Sight. Spirited you away into the faerie realm by leading you into a faerie circle when you were playing in the yard.”</p><p>Mumbo glanced up, asking in a hushed tone. “Didn’t my parents notice I was missing?”</p><p>“They would have, had the faeries not left a replacement. One of their own, masquerading as you so that the faeries could keep you as long as they could.<br/>“You were raised by the fae, learning their language and script, their mannerisms and quirks. You could read their writing and understand their speech- it was all you knew after all. You didn’t know anything different- they made it so that you wanted to stay with them, weaving memories in your head that weren’t real- that you were abandoned by your parents and the fae rescued you from freezing to death.”</p><p>“How....how do you know all of this?” He asked. His heart felt heavy- maybe ignorance was better than this, maybe he shouldn’t have asked, been content living how he was. Maybe he was better off without knowing that the fae stole him away.</p><p>Grian took a sharp breath. “I know because I was one of the faeries who played with you. We grew up together in the Seelie court.<br/>“And I was also the faerie who took your memories away when you asked to leave the realm. You said you found a place that you wanted to visit for a bit- I presume it was this world- and that you’d like to stay there.”</p><p>“So I can read your language because I grew up among it?” Mumbo asked.</p><p>“Yes, but also no.<br/>“Mumbo...do you know how faeries are made?”</p><p>“What are you saying, Grian.”</p><p>“I’m saying that you spent so much time around the fae that you naturally picked up some of the magic. It slowly changed you.”</p><p>“But everything that Scar did...the red and the iron and the runes- why didn’t it affect me?” Mumbo frowned.</p><p>“Because you’re a made faerie. I’m a natural-born one.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Deep Lore</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iskall needed iron. Badly.<br/>And he knew that Mumbo probably wanted slime. But when the bouncy castle didn’t receive any attention and Mumbo wasn’t replying to his messages, well, he had to take a more aggressive approach.</p><p>By showing up to his house.</p><p>“Hey Mumbo?” He asked, calling out from the doorway before stepping inside.</p><p>And instantly, he knew something was wrong.</p><p>The tower of minecart chests was gone, bamboo growing rampant inside the build, vines from the jungle slowly covering the walls as if the trees were taking back the base that Mumbo had built.<br/>A peek inside the chests revealed them to be mostly emptied of valuable resources (not like he was going to steal) and the tools the redstoner often used were gone as well. </p><p>He frowned, peering behind the portal and finding the tunnel Grian had painstakingly dug between his base and Mumbos- and naturally, Iskall followed it, finding a similar situation at Grians place. In fact, he hadn’t heard anything from the prankster for a little over a week now- which meant that he was planning something or that something was seriously wrong.<br/>Given the state of his base, Iskall guessed it was the latter.</p><p>He climbed his way out of the ruined hobbit hole and walked the short distance to Scars base. He was closest in proximity to the two- maybe he knew something.</p><p>“Scar? You there dude?” He called out. No response.<br/>So he looked to Larry as if asking permission to enter (the snail blinked slowly and looked away) and Iskall took that as approval, scaling the ladder and stepping inside.</p><p>It looked normal at first, but something was off. Dust covered the workbench in the middle of the room and the curtains were drawn over the window, shutting out the sunlight.<br/>“Scar?” He asked again, listening carefully for a response- which he received in the form of shifting covers above him.<br/>Iskall followed the sound and found himself in the wizards bedroom.</p><p>It had a nice fireplace and a few shelves full of books and other trinkets, a staff placed haphazardly on the corner and about to topple over at any moment. Again, the curtains were pulled shut over the window here too and the fire was nothing more than a few dying embers.</p><p>But Scar himself. He was curled up in the bed, shaking. In the dim light, Iskall couldn’t tell if it was from illness or silent sobs.</p><p>“Are you okay dude? What happened?” Iskall tried, to no avail. Scar barely acknowledged the fact that someone was with him, so out of it that reality felt like it was miles away. <br/>“Is...kall?” He asked softly, his voice cracking.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s me. What happened?”</p><p>Scar rolled over, turning away from his friend. “Go away.” </p><p>“Not happening, dude. You need help, okay? Wait here, lemme get you some food.” And with that, Iskall went back downstairs, throwing together rabbit stew before bringing it to Scar, opening the curtains as he went. “Eat this. You’ll feel better.”<br/>And surprisingly, Scar sat up and ate, still silent, but progress was progress. He wasn’t going to complain.</p><p>Scar set the bowl aside, pulling his knees up to his chest as he finally stared blankly at Iskall.</p><p>“Mind telling me what happened? Where’s Grian and Mumbo?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As I was writing this, I realised how weird the situation is to an outsider.</p><p>Two people are missing without a word and one person has suddenly become a recluse.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He had no idea how long he lay there, curled up in his bed with the curtains closed and his phone on silent. After a while, time sort of...melted into itself, hours feeling like seconds and minutes crawling along like years. It was easier this way.<br/>He couldn’t meddle in peoples secrets, couldn’t interfere. Couldn’t drive them away. So he stayed inside, isolated from the world as he let everything fall apart around him.</p><p>The funny thing about hunger is that once you get past a certain point, you don’t feel it anymore. The hollow ache that made its home in his belly was barely noticeable now. It felt comforting in its familiarity and consistency, grounding him to reality.</p><p>The constant ache should probably be cause for some concern, and yet- it wasn’t. Scar felt fine, drifting on the edge of consciousness, hovering between the physical and intangible. Reality didn’t feel real, rather it felt 3 inches to the left and the only thing holding Scar in place was a thin string tying him to his body. Like a balloon, he smiled bitterly.<br/>He felt like a damn balloon.</p><p>There was a certain peace in the quiet darkness. It felt like a blanket, dampening the sounds around him until they were nothing more than muffled noises, words losing meaning and becoming empty syllables. Sure he could hear them, people at his door, whispering if they should go inside before deciding not to, but their words- they didn’t mean anything. They didn’t sound right. The noise lost all meaning.</p><p>And then the peace was shattered, Iskall walking in and shoving food into his shaking hands. Funny- when did he get so weak that he couldn’t hold a bowl of stew steadily? How long has it been?<br/>But Iskalls mouth was moving, more meaningless words filling the air and he stared down at Scar with a stern look.</p><p>He guessed he should eat the food.<br/>And when Iskall’s gaze softened, Scar knew he guessed right and finished the meal.</p><p>“Mind telling me what happened? Where’s Grian and Mumbo?” Iskall asked, sitting down on the floor, his back against the wall.</p><p>Scar took a moment to process the question, the silence stretching until it teetered on the edge of awkwardness. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and muted, cracking from a week of disuse and days of crying. “Mumbos gone too?”</p><p>Iskall nearly had to strain his ears to hear Scar, frowning why confusion at the implications that his words had. “You knew Grian was gone?” </p><p>“We...had a fight.”</p><p>“About?”</p><p>“I don’t wanna say.”</p><p>Iskall shrugged, knowing enough not to pry at the moment. “But what about Mumbo? His base is a wreck and all his gear is gone.”</p><p>“I guess he went after Grian.”</p><p>“Do you know where they are?”</p><p>“No. Grian just...left without a word. I don’t know how Mumbo knew were to find him- if he even did.”</p><p>Iskall sighed, figuring that he wouldn’t be getting much else out of Scar while he was in this state, standing up and sitting down next to the wizard on the bed. Something was clearly bothering him, and if Iskall had to guess, it would be the fight that happened between Scar and Grian.<br/>“Listen dude- I don’t know what happened between the three of you but you can’t punish yourself like this. Do you know how long you’ve been like this?”</p><p>Scar shook his head no.</p><p>“It’s been 11 days at least. No ones heard from you for 11 days and if you’ve just been like this the entire time- you’re most definitely starving.<br/>“Things happen dude. You can’t ignore the world until the problem goes away, Scar, you gotta still get up every day and take care of yourself. Baby steps, yknow? Take care of yourself and then focus on the problem. But don’t ignore it like this- because you’re not only hurting yourself.”</p><p>Scar nodded solemnly as Iskall rambled on, leaning his head into the other, silently asking for comfort.<br/>“Oh, come here dude.” Iskall smiled, wrapping his arms around Scar in a tight hug. And like any good friend, he didn’t let go until he felt Scar pull away first.<br/>“Better?”</p><p>“Yeah. Thanks Iskall.” Scar murmured. </p><p>“Anytime.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It felt like the world was crashing around him, the pieces that once made up his reality were shattered as they hit the floor.</p><p>“So...you’re saying....I’m...?”</p><p>Grian nodded.</p><p>“But why tell me all this now?”</p><p>“Would you have believed me if I told you earlier? When you didn’t know I was fae? When you weren’t searching for answers?”</p><p>Well, Grian did have him there. Had the situation been different, Mumbo would have called Grian a liar. He’s still tempted to, but too many things lined up. Too much made sense for it to not be true.<br/>Like the small shock he got when he was around iron, chalking it up to static electricity, or the fact that he had a hard time finding his redstone supplies- previously explained away by a cluttered storage system. Sure the same things that affected Grian also affected Mumbo, but it was clearly to a lesser degree. Mumbo wasn’t losing his redstone by the handful like Grian was.</p><p>“Mumbo, I am sorry to drop it all into you, but one way or another, you would have asked how you could read fae runes.” Grian said gently. “After all- you’re the only hermit who didn’t know their past when they came here, right? I felt bad keeping it from you.”</p><p>“Hey G? Can I ask you something?” Mumbo asked, his voice breaking the silence that had stretched out between them.</p><p>“Go for it.”</p><p>“Did I ask to forget? Or were my memories taken from me?”</p><p>Grian’s hesitation told Mumbo all he needed to know, and yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at Grian. “I...they were taken. I took them.”</p><p>Mumbo took another sip of the coffee, tilting his head. “Why?” </p><p>“You found this realm right as Thorn took over and the fighting started to get bad. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I wanted you to move on happily. Without regret of who you left behind or the temptation to come back.” The faerie stared at his lap, fidgeting with the hem of his sweater.</p><p>Mumbo softened, a gentle smile on his face. “Thank you.” He hummed, falling back into a comfortable silence before another thought pushed its way to the forefront of his mind.<br/>“Earlier, you asked for my and Scars name. If...if I understand correctly, names have power, right?” </p><p>Grian frowned in confusion, staring up at Mumbo with his head tilted. He looked like an adorable puppy when he did that, but now was not the time to dwell on that.</p><p>But Mumbo felt he could trust Grian wholeheartedly, the faerie being honest with him. “I am Mumbo.” </p><p>And Grian’s eyes went wide as he realised what Mumbo trusted him with. No trickery, no fancy wording to make loopholes- just complete and genuine honesty as Mumbo willingly gave his name to the faerie.</p><p>“Mumbo.” Grian said, his eyes wide with shock and happiness. He had Mumbos name not through trickery, but through trust. It was a gesture the redstoner couldn’t take back and the fact that he trusted Grian enough for him to willingly surrender it... well. Grian would make sure to show that Mumbos trust was well-placed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter did not wanna be written, so sorry if it’s a bit short.<br/>This is not gonna be a ship-fic. Just to clarify.</p><p>I know I say this a lot, but thank you all so much for reading this fic. It makes me happy to see all of your reactions to how this story is unfolding and I’m really grateful for that. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was just 3 words. Three teeny-tiny words that made him happy and it wasn’t the stereotypical “I love you,” it was person introducing themselves.<br/>“I am Mumbo”<br/>And yet, to Grian, they held so much more meaning. </p><p>Grian was completely speechless, fumbling for the right words to say before deciding none of them were correct and hugged Mumbo, his smile as bright as the stars that now shone through the window. Tears of happiness gathered at the corners of his eyes, spilling over as he laughed at the ridiculous of <em>crying</em> from being so happy.</p><p>Mumbo wrapped his arms around Grian, offering a gentle squeeze before pulling back, understanding his 3 words stole all of Grians. </p><p>So many words raced through the pranksters mind, sentences stampeding, trampling each other until his brain was a rush of white noise. None of the words felt right, properly voiced how happy he was or how grateful that he had Mumbo at his side. That he was so grateful to have the redstoners trust like this. That he wasn’t alone.</p><p>“I trust you, dude.” Mumbo smiled at the faerie who was floundering for words. “I know you won’t hurt me.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Grian managed to stammer out, still grinning like an idiot. “I’m Xelqua.”</p><p>And just like that, the joy in the atmosphere shifted to confusion.<br/>“What?”</p><p>“Well, since you gave me your name, I figured I’d give you my  true name. Make it even and all that.” Grian shrugged. “But by all means, keep calling me Grian. It’s weird to use true names. A lot of fae have nicknames or other names we go by.” He shrugged nonchalantly. </p><p>“Wait hold on- what’s a true name and how is it different from a regular one?” Mumbo asked.</p><p>He looked up at Mumbo with a small bit of surprise, as if he couldn’t believe that Mumbo didn’t know the difference.<br/>“A true name is more powerful. Knowing it is incredibly hard and giving it up means that whoever knows it can control that person.” Grian explained sheepishly, glancing off to the side. “A regular name allows for some control, but not completely like invoking a true name would.<br/>“It’s why people say to not give your name to a fae and that names have power.”</p><p>“Right.” He replied, nodding. “Makes sense.”<br/>And still, now knowing the weight of a name, Mumbo found that he didn’t regret a thing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning for a minor anxiety attack at the end of the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So what do you wanna on doing now?” Iskall asked as he Scar pulled out of the hug. “What are your plans? You going to pursue this or forget it ever happened?” Maybe if the words came from anyone else’s mouth (except maybe Cub), Scar would have grit his teeth in frustration and gotten riled up.<br/>But this was Iskall, and his voice was gentle. Soft. Inquiring out of curiosity rather than malice.</p><p>“I...I don’t know. Part of me wants to chase down Grian and apologise and the other part wants to keep being mad at him.” He admitted. “It sounds childish without a lot of the details, now that I say it out loud.” A bitter laugh followed.</p><p>“No it doesn’t.” Iskall smiled. “It’s something that’s bothering you. It’s not stupid or childish.” </p><p>Scar nodded, plonking his head onto the others shoulder again, relishing in the comforting silence before Iskall spoke up again.<br/>“So why do you want to keep being mad at Grian?”</p><p>“I came from a world of magic. It’s empty now and his kind had everything to do with it.” He answered before immediately realise what he said. He spilled Grians secret. Again. Without even thinking this time- god he really was useless wasn’t he?</p><p>But if Iskall heard and understood what exactly Scar had let slip, he didn’t pay any heed to it, plowing right along through the conversation. “That’s a valid reason to still be mad. So why do you want to apologise?”</p><p>Scar sat there, searching for the right words to say, how to explain how he missed the Jungle Bandit, the life and laughter that sounded from the hobbit hole that was so close to Larry. How could he explain how wrong the jungle felt without Grian? The question left him wondering which sounds would properly convey how he felt.<br/>“Because....because he’s my friend. I miss him.”</p><p>And that earned another hug from Iskall. “Why don’t you message him? It’s Grian we’re talking about, he’s gotta he missing you too.”</p><p>And without too much of a hassle, Iskall convinced Scar to send Grian a simple message and waited for a reply.<br/>Just a simple “hi” was all.</p><p>And solid 2 minutes passed, the wait causing Scar’s anxiety to spiral out of control.<br/>“Oh god he hates me, he hates me- I shouldn’t have done that, why did I listen to you why did I do that I’m so stu-“</p><p>“Scar.” Iskalls voice cut him off, “You are not stupid. He doesn’t hate you. He’s probably just as surprised to get a text from you as you were at the idea of sending it.” And sure enough, a simple message came through from the faerie, settling Scar’s mind. Now the challenge was how to continue the damn conversation.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Scar: Hi G-Man.</em>
</p><p>Grian stared at the message that popped up on his phone. How the hell was he supposed to reply to someone who trapped him in a literal cage? </p><p>
  <em>Grian: hey</em><br/>
<em>Grian: why message me now?</em><br/>
<em>Grian: i was under the impression you wanted me dead.</em>
</p><p>Maybe it was a low blow, but he was still hurt.<br/>
It hurt having to spill his secrets just so he could live and it hurt leaving everyone and everything behind without so much as a second word.<br/>
Maybe if he was a bigger man, he’d apologise and let it all fall behind them. Go back to being friends.</p><p>But he wasn’t. Grian had his own wounds, his own past that he never truly faced; he ran from it. Everyone here ran from their pasts.</p><p>It was one of the unspoken rules to never ask about it.<br/>
To never pry.<br/>
To just focus on the here and now.</p><p>But how the hell was he supposed to manage that?<br/>
It felt like his world was falling apart. Scar caught him and suddenly he found himself living in a different jungle, hundreds of thousands of miles away. Where only the people he wanted there could find him. Grian had to admit it was still pretty lonely, even with Professor Beak and Mumbo in the area.</p><p>
  <em>Scar: I just wanted to say I’m sorry.</em><br/>
<em>Grian: you know that “im sorry” won’t fix it now, right?</em><br/>
<em>Scar: ...I figured that I’d try. I know you’re mad at me. I’m mad at myself for what I did. I just wanted you to know that I’m genuinely sorry is all.</em>
</p><p>Yeah.<br/>
Yeah he knew Scar was sorry. He saw the group chat freaking out over why the Grian and Scar vanished, and then later over Mumbo disappearing as well. He had intervened when they were debating sending out a search party, sending a quick “im fine guys” message before ghosting the chat again.<br/>
It was easier this way, he decided. Being away from the humans.<br/>
Maybe he could teach Mumbo more about magic. They certainly had the room to expand and the time to practise.</p><p>Already Mumbo had taken to poking around the room with curiosity, peering through cloudy glass at strange potions and powders contained within. Grian never had a problem navigating the room due to how high the ceiling was. When he first strung the bottles up, it was to get them out of his way- he never really intended for a much taller neighbour who was always over, constantly bumping his head on the glass bottles hanging there.</p><p>Things were...weird, to say the least. The duo had never properly shared a base before and the last time Grian tried, it ended with his friend moving out.<br/>
How long ago was that now? He could barely remember his face but the bright blue shirt.<br/>
The headphones.<br/>
He could remember those easily. </p><p>So Mumbo resolved the matter by making another house and connecting the two with a vine bridge.<br/>
And just because Grian was a perfectionist, he made Mumbos house hang in the canopy with thick vines supporting the build. It was thematic, after all.</p><p>Being in the canopy meant he could ignore the growing amount of fairy rings on the floor. Ones that he or Mumbo certainly didn’t make.<br/>
The fact that they were made of red-capped mushrooms and chrysanthemums sent chills down his spine.<br/>
Chrysanthemums didn’t grow naturally in the jungle after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Google what a chrysanthemum means, I dare you.</p><p> </p><p>ALSO! I’m trying to get together a playlist for this fic. Send me song recommendations that you think Vibe Well and I’ll check them out!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They shouldn’t have managed to escape. Out of <em>everyone</em> who could, or had a reason to...those two shouldn’t have managed to slip from his grasp.<br/>
He had the entire damn realm under his control. It didn’t matter if it was by use of magic or fear- point was the entire world was his.</p><p>Except for those two.</p><p>He didn’t even think they had the skills to open their own portal and escape, but they pulled it off...which made the one in blue sweater all the more desirable.<br/>
That one knew old magic. Magic that had been lost to time, knew of old ways and of runes that seldom few could read.</p><p>Why wouldn’t he want someone who knew ancient magick under his control? It was the perfect storm really- a way to become more powerful, start leeching magic from other worlds. To really put his plan into effect.</p><p>He was doing it for his people after all. What kind of ruler doesn’t think of their subjects first? They wanted more magic and so he’d give them more magic.</p><p>He just wanted the two faeries that escaped under his control first.<br/>
What better way to get them back than to pay them a little visit?</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Grian stared down at the growing number of faerie rings on the floor, watching as the magic leeched the life out of the surrounding jungle.<br/>
The bushes were turning brown and dropping their leaves onto the dying grass, the colour fading from a vibrant green to the selfsame brown. Only the chrysanthemums seemed to stay alive, their pointed petals deceptively bright among the dying greenery.</p><p>He already warned Mumbo to stay away from the rings and the redstoner took one look at them before agreeing wholeheartedly.<br/>
Even Professor Beak was getting agitated at the jungle’s slow death, though Grian was hesitant to do much about it.<br/>
Using magic meant that he could be found again.</p><p>It also meant that he had to face his past that was quickly catching up with him.</p><p>He let out a sigh before standing up and heading back inside to where Mumbo was sprawled out on a bench, reading a book that he had brought with him.</p><p>“Hey Mumbo.”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“How would you feel about learning magic?” Grian asked, studying the redstoner as his question caused Mumbo to set down the book, a long leaf acting as a bookmark. “Old magic. Powerful stuff.”</p><p>“Sure, but I mean. It seems rather odd that you’re offering.” Mumbo frowned, his confusion clear on his face.</p><p>Grian sighed and plonked his head on the table. “The faerie ring, the chrysanthemums...I think something big is coming. I just want us to be prepared is all, I guess.” He really hoped that Mumbo couldn’t hear the concern in his voice. He figured that teaching magic should be fine. They’d be safe until one of them actually practised it.</p><p>Which was how, a few days later, Mumbo found himself learning how to read old fae runes, his head buzzing with spells and body becoming accustomed to magic constantly thrumming through his veins.<br/>
Distantly, he knew that something was always there, but it lay dormant as if it were hibernating. Now, learning and training with Grian, it awoke.</p><p>And after a few weeks and Mumbo finally managed to make a vine move, Grian clapped happily, his wings fluttering and lifting him off the ground a few inches. Professor Beak chirped from his shoulder and the prankster gave the bird a head pat before landing gracefully.</p><p>The sun shone overhead, the light filtering through the dying branches of the jungle trees before casting twisting shadows on their floor and yet, the duo still managed to make it work. Still managed to find happiness in the absolutely dismal situation. So what if the jungle was dying, they were alive. They had each other (and a bird). They were okay.<br/>
Mumbo grinned happily at the vine, patting it as if to prove to himself that he had managed to move it.</p><p>“Mumbo you got it!” Grian cheered happily, forgetting for a moment that they were vulnerable. That they could be found.</p><p>“So I did!” He laughed in reply. “I did it!”</p><p>And their laughter filled up the room so that they couldn’t hear the ground break open beneath their doorstep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mumbo knows magic now! :D</p><p>because that’s the plot point that’s important here lmao.<br/>(Hint hint- it’s not)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the end, it was so easy to forget.<br/>
Mumbo finally understood magic- after weeks and weeks of struggling. Of late nights with lanterns burning low, the oil running out as he kept reading.<br/>
Grian had to admit, Mumbo pushed himself much further, much faster than he did as a student.</p><p>But it didn’t matter. He had forgotten about the faerie rings, feeding off of the jungle and turning it into a graveyard for the animals living there. The mewls of ocelots and the caws of parrots became less and less until Grian could only hear Professor Beak’s chirps.<br/>
He forgot that using magic meant he could be found.</p><p>And Mumbo had used magic.</p><p>Grian’s eyes went wide as the realisation struck, rushing to the door to peer down at the rings. The dirt in the middle had fallen away and he could peer through the rift into the world he left behind.</p><p>The once-bright and vibrant court was dead, red and black roses covering the entire back wall where there was once a rainbow of colours. Half the fae there looked broken inside, their wings drooping behind them as they sat at around tables or huddled in small groups. The other half stood proud, their eyes empty and mindless, backs ramrod straight as if they were soldiers awaiting some unspoken command. It was as if the rose stems had strangled the life from the court, covering it in tiny thorns that pricked anyone who wasn’t paying attention.<br/>
And at the head of it all sat the Unseelie king himself, a crown of dead flowers in his hair as he stared up at Grian across dimensions.</p><p>“Pleasure seeing you again.” came Thorns voice, cool and calculating, carrying through the portal.<br/>
Grian just stared in shock. He thought he had properly escaped it, gotten away from the court for good. And yet, here it was, staring up at him from the dying jungle floor.<br/>
“What, not going to greet your king? How rude of you. I’d have hoped that you learned some manners while you, ah...took a break from being among the court but it seems I’ve been sorely mistaken.” The king rose from his throne, walking towards the portal until only his face was able to be seen. </p><p>“G, what’s going....on....” Mumbo frowned, coming to the door to find his friend staring down wordlessly as a strangers voice echoed through the rift.</p><p>Thorn clapped his hands together upon seeing Mumbo, a look of surprise crossing his face “Ah! The fake faerie is here too. That makes this entire process much easier on me.<br/>
“Really, I should thank you, Red. You’ve made this task almost too easy.”</p><p>“Red? Who’s-“ Mumbo frowned.</p><p>Grian shook his head. “Its me. Never let Thorn know your name.” He murmured. “Only bad things can come from it.”</p><p>“Keeping secrets, Red? Really now, you should know better. One way or another, I always find out.” Thorn taunted. “Now, theres two ways this can go. Either you two come with me willingly, or I send some guards to forcibly take you back. I don’t like having some subjects on the lose you know. Wastes magic that we could really be using for other matters.”</p><p>Really there was no other option. Sighing, Grian stool up and slowly made his way down the stairs.</p><p>“Are you seriously going to just walk through there dude? What are you thinking?!?!” Mumbo hissed, grabbing Grians’s wrist and tugging him back.</p><p>“Trust me, you don’t want to see his guards.” He replied. Something in his expression was broken, sad and defeated before any fight had even begun. Like he knew from experience that fighting back only led to tragedy. </p><p>“Red gets it. So, fake faerie, are you going to come willingly?”<br/>
Mumbo sighed, letting go of Grian’s wrist.</p><p>“I take it I don’t really have a choice here.”</p><p>“Well you do have a choice. It’s simply a matter of which is easiest for me. I really don’t <em>feel</em> like sending some of my guards to fetch you- too much needless bloodshed and wasted magic. But if you resist, then you’ve forced my hand.” The king mused, scratching his chin as if he were genuinely thinking about it.</p><p>“Right.” He nodded, the redstoner starting down the stairs after Grian, who was already at the edge and waiting for Mumbo to join him.</p><p>“Thor-My king, you might want to back up so that I don’t hurt you when coming through. It would be rather undignified if I crashed into you and we all landed on the floor.” Grian said once they both stood at the edge of the faerie ring, and Thorn stepped back so that the duo didn’t land on top of him.</p><p>Wordlessly, Mumbo reached out to grasp Grian’s hand and gave it as squeeze for reassurance. The poor man looked terrified out of his mind.<br/>
“On three?” The redstoner asked, starting the countdown after he saw Grian nod.</p><p>And once he hit “three” the two of them stepped into the ring and felt weightless as the rift took them to the world they left behind years ago.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wonder how long it’s gonna take for anyone to notice they’re missing.</p><p>Also- thank you so much for the song ideas! I’ve made the playlist (tho it might change as this fic progresses) but here it is so far!<br/>Not all songs apply to Grian, some are more for Scar, some foreshadow what’s to come, and some are there simply to Vibe. I’ll let you try to figure out which is which.</p><p> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0gcIDQJ62bXpntvHrsIa4m8vluaT_p8</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scar knew that Grian said that he was fine and they should ditch the search party idea. So they did.<br/>
So why the hell did he suddenly feel apprehensive? Why were his instincts screaming at him to find Grian, to get him help, that the faerie wasn’t okay and wanted- no <em>needed</em> someone to come?</p><p>He had no idea where to begin searching for the prankster. He had no idea how to help or why he felt this way- didn’t Grian hate him?</p><p>And then a knock on his door snapped him out of it. Right.<br/>
He forgot Iskall swung by often to check on him. To make sure Scar was taking care of himself.</p><p>“Scar? Dude? You okay?” He asked, opening the door and letting himself in. Scar was sitting on the floor, his hands curled up by his chest and knees by his chin. The wizards laboured breathing filled the air and Iskall found himself kneeling next to Scar before he could blink.<br/>
“Hey- it’s okay. Squeeze my hand, you’re okay.” He soothed. “You’re okay.”</p><p>Scar nodded, glancing towards Iskalls voice, his eyes unfocused as his mind was reeling. After a few moments with Iskall by his side, he slowly came back to himself and slumped into his arms again. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Of course. Mind telling me what happened?”</p><p>“I just...I don’t know? I think Grian needs help.” Scar stammered. “I really think he’s not okay.”<br/>
And Iskall (bless him) nodded without questioning how or why Scar felt that way.</p><p>“Okay. I’ll see what I can do about getting together a search party so we can find hi-“ A tapping at the window cut Iskall short.<br/>
“Or not.” He laughed, opening it up and studying the cause of the sound.<br/>
“Hello Professor Beak. Think you can lead us back to Grian?” To which the pesky bird squawked and bobbed it’s head as if it was nodding.</p><p>“Are we just gonna go? Right now? Or do- do you wanna get some people together before setting off?” Scar frowned, sitting up from his position on the floor as Professor Beak made himself comfy in his lap.</p><p>“How about we scout it out and if we think we need people to come help, we can tell them what’s going on and where to meet up. If you feel like Grian is in danger, I don’t want to hesitate.”</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The second the two landed on the other side, Thorn gestured for guards to surround them.<br/>
“Don’t want you to get any ideas after all.” He explained away, waving a hand at the rift and watched it close itself, dirt and branches filling in the gap as if it were never there.<br/>
“Now. Give me your names.” Thorn demanded, his hand in front of them- the same way Grian had done.</p><p>Grian- to his credit- looked up at Thorn with a fire in his eyes and kept his mouth shut, denying the king any sort of answer.<br/>
And was promptly burned with the iron that made up the guards weapons.<br/>
It was a white-hot sort of pain, nothing like what he experienced in the other realm and he stared up at Thorn, the question clear in his eyes.</p><p>“Ah! Right. Refined iron and a few runes really do make all the difference in pain. It’s not fun now is it, Red?<br/>
“I don’t like having to use it, but I do what I must.” He hummed nonchalantly, as if this was typical court affairs. It was. None of the other fae in the court bat and eye at the two newcomers being tormented in the middle of the room.<br/>
“Now, if you won’t give me your name, maybe your friend will give me his, hmm?<br/>
“Or will I be forced to use the same iron on him?”</p><p>Grian could stand being hurt. This was normal for Thorn. He had been through it before. But Mumbo? Mumbo didn’t remember this, it was all new to him. Grian couldn’t stand the thought of Mumbo being hurt- especially on account of him. “Don’t! I’m- I’m called Grian.” </p><p>“Not what I wanted, Grian.” Thorn frowned. “Must you insist on testing my patience? I already am displeased with your vanishing act eons ago. It would be wise to simply give me what I want rather than endure this needless torture.”</p><p>Mumbo shot Grian a look as if to say “don’t” but Grian was faster, his name tumbling from his mouth into Thorns hands.<br/>
“My name is Grian.”</p><p>“Perfect. Now Grian. <em>Tell me your friends name."</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It felt nice, not needing to think. Really, his brain was so busy, thoughts firing around constantly that having some blissful silence was welcome. He felt like he was floating in a dreamlike sense.<br/>What was it that he had to do? Oh right- just say one word. Mumbo’s name. <br/>He felt his mouth open, the name on the tip of his tongue before he realised what exactly he was doing, snapping his mouth shut before he could accidentally spill it.</p><p>That and also, an arm tugging his own and the rushed whisper in his ear snapped him out of it.<br/><em>“Xelqua, don’t obey him.”</em></p><p>The floating sensation went away, unceremoniously dumping Grian into reality again. <br/>Well, it was nice while it lasted.<br/>But he was grateful to be in control of his own actions.</p><p>Thorn stared down at the duo, his confusion only visible in his eyes, the rest of his face remained as unreadable as a stone.<br/>“You.” He started, glaring at Mumbo. “You know something. How else would you be able to make him stop?”</p><p>“I dunno. Maybe he’s able to snap out of it and I only helped.” Mumbo shrugged, sending a cheeky smile up at Thorn.</p><p>Thorn frowned as if that were an actual possibility rather than Mumbo spitballing an answer. “Possibly. He is one of the few who knows old magick. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had more tricks up your sleeves, Grian.”</p><p>“They’re baggy for a reason.” Grian grinned just to wind Thorn up even further. And indeed, his blue sweater was a size too big which only supported his teasing claim.</p><p>“How does anyone stand you.” The king grumbled, waving a hand and sending the two of them away surrounded by guards.</p><p>Guards who marched them into cells made of the selfsame magically enhanced iron, with no plants for Grian to manipulate and break out like he did last time.</p><p>“Well that could have gone better.” Mumbo pouted, sitting on the floor like a petulant child with his arms crossed.</p><p>“It also could have gone worse.” Grian sighed, “Thanks for what you did back there.”</p><p>“I’m not all to eager to have him know my name as well. Any ideas on what to call me while we’re here?”</p><p>Grian hummed. “How about Dust? Like redstone dust?”</p><p>“Better than my actual name. Dust it is.” He grinned at the faerie. “I am curious though- why was he calling me ‘fake faerie.’ It doesn’t make much sense for him to want both of us but then only go after you.”</p><p>“He knows me better is all, I think. As for the whole fake faerie thing, I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t see you as one of us, or maybe there is something fundamentally different about you.” He shrugged.</p><p>Which gave Mumbo an idea. “I wonder...” he trailed off as he stood up and slowly walked towards the bars, hesitating as he rest a hand on the iron.</p><p>“Mu-I mean Dust?”</p><p>“Well I mean. It <em>hurts</em> but it’s not unbearable.” Mumbo shrugged, still holding onto the iron. “It’s like getting burned by a really lazy fire.” He grinned before (finally) he let go of the bar.</p><p>“Ah brilliant! So I was worried about nothing.”</p><p>“It’s not nothing. You had no idea if the iron would hurt me as bad as it did you or not. So thank you for looking out for me, G.”</p><p>Grian had to hide his sheepish blush, deciding to become an approximation of a turtle as his shoulders brushed the bottoms of his ears.<br/>“This is great and all, but how are we gonna get out of this mess? I get the feeling Thorn isn’t just gonna let us go.”</p><p>“We can worry about that later. For now, I think our first priority is getting out of here. Or teach me more about this world so I don’t have a spoon moment at the most inopportune moment. Or both. Both would be absolutely brilliant.” Mumbo rambled in an attempt to cheer Grian up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love how quickly y’all forget things that came in former chapters. Mumbo has Grians true name, of course hes not gonna let Thorn puppet Grian about.<br/>That doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop teasing y’all.<br/>;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Iskall...”</p><p>“Nope. Not hearing it. I can tell when you’re working yourself up and I’m not gonna allow it.” He instantly cut Scar off, the tell-tale waver in the wizards voice was a pretty good indication that he was thinking of the worst case scenarios.</p><p>Scar pouted as he finished packing the last of the supplies he needed into a shulker, most of the “preparation time” used up by searching through the pile of chests spilling out his front door. And yet, somehow, books full of spells and runes, crystals, food, rockets, and his shiniest set of armour made their way into the shulker, which made it into his bag.</p><p>“Scar I know you’re worried. I’m scared too, but whatever happens, we have each other. Okay?” Iskall offered, his apology disguised as reassurance. The wizard nodded, taking a deep breath before throwing himself off of Larrys shell and firing off several rockets to take to the skies, Iskall following suit.</p><p>“Professor Beak? Can you lead the way?” Scar called from the sky and the parrot in question squawked as it too flew into the air, remembering the path Mumbo took and leading Scar and Iskall the same way.</p><p>
  <em>Don’t worry, Grian. I won’t let you down this time.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Grian nodded at Mumbos suggestion, deciding to fill in any blanks about the fae that the spoon didn’t know.</p><p>“Why was Thorn so hung up on getting my name?” Mumbo asked, tilting his head at Grian.</p><p>“Having someone’s name allows you to control that person. To avoid handing your name over, you can say things like ‘call me Red’ or ‘I’m called Dust’ and the faerie will know your name but not <em>have</em> it. The important part is that a faerie is asking for a name- which is why I didn’t ‘have’ yours when we first met.<br/>
“Though giving names is different. If you give a name away, that’s it. You gave it away and anyone can give someone else’s name...which is why Thorns stunt back there nearly worked.” Grian sighed, picking at the floor and fidgeting with a stray pebble.</p><p>“Makes sense and all. And Thorn’s doing all this...why? It doesn’t make sense to go after the both of us only now.”</p><p>And so Grian told him everything about Thorn that the faerie knew, from when the King poisoned Feather to his own daring escape. Mumbo was a good listener, sitting on the floor of the cell and listening to the words that flowed easily from Grian’s mouth. He was an excellent storyteller, words rich with imagery and Mumbo could almost see how the court used to be, the easy laughter and brighter air. It was as of Grian were spinning a world for Mumbo to explore about in, allowing him to escape the cage for a moment.</p><p>“So he’s doing this...because the world is running out of magic?” Grian nodded, encouraging Mumbo to continue. “And he thinks that you’re the solution. Because you know ancient magicks that barely anyone else knows.” Mumbo got another nod. Might as well stick a gold star onto his lapel- he was acing this.</p><p>“And I’ve been teaching you some as well. Not the vine moving thing- that’s something most fae can do. The runes however...” He trailed off.</p><p>Mumbo nodded wisely, finishing off Grian’s sentence. “Are not.” </p><p>“Precisely. Besides, it’s nice to have a prentice.” He hummed happily, thinking back to when he tried to teach his old friend the ancient magick that seemed to come so naturally to him. His friend failed miserably, half of the runes he drew blew up in his face in a rather comical manner.<br/>
But those were simpler times.</p><p>“I feel like I should be asking how we’re gonna get out of this mess.” Mumbo gestured to the bars. “And not to mention fix the problem that marches around with dead flowers in his hair called Thorn.”</p><p>“I haven’t the slightest idea for the first but for Thorn...I think there’s a few ways to go. We find someone to step up as the Seelie ruler and fill the power vacuum Feather left behind, or we stage a coup and kill Thorn.”<br/>
The way Grian said it made it sound easy. And yet both of them knew that actually usurping Thorn would be anything but.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you wanna fight Thorn with a People Opener, raise your hand.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Either way, we’d need someone to rule the courts.” Grian sighed.</p><p>His words were met with a long pause and he looked over to Mumbo, his head tilted as he silently asked what was on the redstoners mind.</p><p>“Why not you? You’re clearly powerful enough for Thorn to be scared of you. We’re here and no one else seems to be rebelling against him- so why not step up yourself?” Mumbo asked finally, finding the words he was looking for.</p><p>“I....don’t feel comfortable ruling?” Grian shrugged. “Besides, if I took over, I would be worried about how to make everyone happy- which is why we typically have 2 rulers rather than one. So if I did take over the Seelie court, I’d need to find someone to rule the Unseelie.<br/>
“That and also, I’d have to leave the Hermits so I could keep an eye on things here...and I don’t really want to leave you guys. Though I guess my reason for joining in the first place was because of how bad things got here...” He trailed off, his point made even if he doubted his own words.<br/>
Ruling was definitely an option, but was it one he was willing to give up the Hermits for? Did he really want or need to rule? Or was he casting himself as a meer soldier in the revolution he’d be leading? Grian had no idea, and the uncertainty terrified him.</p><p>“Hey, its okay- I get it.” Mumbo smiled. If the bars weren’t in the way, or if their cells weren’t separated by a hallway, he’d give Grian a reassuring hand squeeze.<br/>
But they were, so he’d have to settle for a reassuring smile instead.<br/>
“Totally unrelated- what does Thorn even want to do with us?”</p><p>“Brilliant question, fake faerie. Unfortunately for you, now isn’t the time for answers.” Thorn walked in, his personal entourage of guards at his sides as he unlocked Grians cell and motioned for the faerie to follow him. A few guards stayed behind to ensure Mumbo wouldn’t escape while the majority surrounded Grian so he’d have nowhere else to go besides following Thorn.</p><p>“You’re smart enough to not disobey me. Especially if you don’t have <em>that<em> to distract you.” Thorn cast Mumbo a disdainful look, as if the redstoner was nothing more than a slug he’d love to pour salt on and watch it writhe.</em></em></p><p>
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</p><p>Mumbo, clearly being the bigger person, stuck his tongue out at Thorn while the kings back was turned.
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</p><p>The snide look Thorn gave Mumbo had the desired effect of winding Grian up and the king smirked as he watched Grians expression turn furious and hands ball into fists, knuckles turning white from how tense he was holding them. Even his wings flared out a bit, as if he were going to launch himself into the air to properly sock Thorn in the face. The idea was tempting, Grian had to admit, but the constant threat of the enchanted iron and the knowledge that Thorn had his name kept him in line.
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</p><p>Thorn lead Grian through winding corridors that were vaguely familiar from years ago and into a library, the room filled from floor to ceiling with shelves crammed full of handwritten books. The leather on some was cracked with age, the spines broken in while others were carefully written on thin leaves and bound together with twine.<br/>
A table sat in the middle of the room, stretching nearly from end to end with floating lanterns illuminating the air. They hovered in place, runes on the edge of the paper ensuring that nothing would burn.<br/>
Grian recognised the charm as one he had helped come up with.
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</p><p>But he knew that talking about the lanterns was only part of why Thorn wanted to speak with him.
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  “Jeez, how far away were they? My elytra’s about to break.” Iskall complained, glancing back at the wings strapped to his back. They were starting to tear in places, the delicate fabric wearing down as they flew, the runes holding them together fading away.
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  “I dunno.” Scar kept his eyes trained on Professor Beak, lest they lose the tiny blue bird among the massive expanse of the blue sky. “Wait- is that it?” He exclaimed, pointing towards a very man-made structure. Two houses, hung up in the canopy at the edge of a jungle, one clearly more lived in than the other.
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 It was a relief when Professor Beak started to head towards the small houses and both Iskall and Scar sighed with relief when they landed on the roof of one of the buildings.<br/>
Scar was instantly off, jumping down onto a bridge and running into one of the houses and calling Grians name, only to find it empty.<br/>
“Grian?”
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  “Scar look.” Iskall was staring down at the ground, the faerie ring still intact but the middle of it seemed oddly dead, a few skeletons of the unfortunate creatures who wandered inside lying among the dirt and twigs. In fact, the more Iskall looked around, the less alive the jungle seemed and it all stemmed out from the faerie ring.<br/>
“I don’t know anything about what’s going on, but that doesn’t seem right.”
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 Scar nodded, studying the ring. “It’s not right. They shouldn’t be spreading death like that.” He climbed down a ladder to get closer, studying the edge of the ring without stepping inside. Runes he didn’t recognise adorned the outer edge, the flowers and mushrooms growing happily between them. The flowers were odd too, alive and well within the circle that held nothing but dirt and bones, not a drop of water nearby.
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  While Scar investigated the faerie circle, Iskall decided to poke about in the house the wizard didn’t barge into.<br/>
He found it surprisingly well decorated though sparsely furnished. A bed was tucked away in a loft and books spilled out from up there onto the floor below. A few more were stacked on a table that sat near a window, all of the ones there written in runes that certainly weren’t from this world.<br/>
Unable to read them, Iskall turned towards the books from the loft and found some in English. Something about reading runes and using magic. He carefully tucked it away into his bag for Scar before continuing to poke about in the small space, deciding to investigate the bedroom as the rest of the room didn’t have much else to look at.
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</p><p>And there, tucked into a drawer, he found an all too familiar red sweater.<br/>
It was folded carefully, clearly placed there with love and Iskall just stared at it.<br/>
Why was it here? Why was it folded?<br/>
And possibly more importantly- what the hell was Grian wearing if his red sweater was here? Iskall didn’t think he’d be able to take the whole rescue mission thing seriously if Grian was shirtless.
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Finally! A chapter that doesn’t end with a cliffhanger!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maybe it was an impulsive decision.<br/>
Ok, it was a <em>really</em> impulsive decision.<br/>
But Iskall found himself shuffling things around in his bag to make room for Grians sweater. He didn’t know why he felt the need to bring it.<br/>
He’ll blame it on how soft the damn thing was.</p><p>“Hey Scar? I found a book you might wanna have.” Iskall called down, the book in one hand as he slid down the ladder carefully.<br/>
“Here. I think it’s something on how to read Fae runes.”</p><p>Scar perked up at that, taking the book with a smile and went right back to studying the runes that lined the faerie circle, using the book to transcribe it, writing down the translations in a book with a pen.</p><p>See- he’d normally be adept at translating runes except these ones, well. These runes were different. They were unlike any he had seen before, swirling lines mixed with elegant loops and whorls rather than the almost geometric runes that he was used to.<br/>
Now that he thought about it, the runes that made up the circle he drew on Grians floor looked almost like a mix of these new, strange runes and the ones he called galactic.</p><p>“Scar?”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“Should we tell the others where we are now?”</p><p>“Probably. I just wanna figure out what these runes say so we know a bit more about what this faerie ring does. They’re typically a way for the Fae to lead a human along and into the faerie realm through a specific spot, but there’s no footprints nearby to suggest anyone was led away.” Scar sat back on his heels.</p><p>“Want me to search around?”</p><p>“If you want.” The wizard shrugged before going back to his task. The sound of fading footsteps told him that Iskall decided to investigate the nearby area, though they came back rather quickly and a sigh sounded from overhead.</p><p>“You were right. There’s nothing around here besides dead jungle, a few bones, and us.”</p><p>“Well, better get that message started because I’m almost....there. Done.” Scar set his pen down as he finally finished transcribing and translating the runes. Which was surprisingly simple as after he got the first few done, he realised it was a repeating pattern.<br/>
<em>’Open. Find. Rift. Open. Find. Rift.’</em><br/>
Over and over and over again. Had anyone found the page in Scars notebook without context, they’d think him a madman for the words repeating down the page without end.<br/>
“It’s just these 3 words in a repeating pattern.” He frowned, staring at the paper with confusion.</p><p>“What should I say to the others then? The translation doesn’t really give us much more info on the entire situation like we were hoping.” Iskall pouted, his phone in one hand and the other holding onto the strap of his bag.</p><p>“Here lemme type it up then.”</p><p>
  <em>Scar: I know this is really out of the blue but can you meet Iskall and I at -13,400 and 45,790? I know it’s super far away but this has to do with why Grian, Mumbo and I sorta vanished for a while. Meet us in the house, don’t step on the jungle floor.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Stress had no idea where to begin getting ingredients to start her brewery, much less the sheer amount of time that brewing them by hand would take. But, she paid for the plot of land in the shopping district, done her market research and she was ready to go.</p><p>Kind of. </p><p>The witch had a lot of work ahead of her as she stared around the shell of her brewery. Signs were stuck to the walls listing the potions she’d need to sell as well as the ingredients for each of them. She may be a witch but by no means is she memorising every single recipe. She had other project to work on as well.<br/>
Like filling her brain up with things. Not her actual brain, mind you. That was chock full of ideas as it stood.<br/>
The one she build inside a massive skull. Like casually mentioning that she had a giant skull just chilling in the jungle was reassuring.</p><p>Stress looked at the mess of signs, noting down which ones needed farms and which ingredients she could buy or make deals with other hermits for before her phone pinged with what was quite possibly the weirdest message to ever be sent.</p><p>Why was Scar asking everyone to meet at coordinates that were thousands of meters away?</p><p>
  <em>Stress: like, right now?</em><br/>
<em>Scar: Please? If it’s not too much to ask. Otherwise I can message you later and fill you in. You might wanna gear up though.<br/>
Stress: it’s no big deal luv. lemme jus grab some things and ill be there.</em>
</p><p>Well she certainly hadn’t planned for a long flight and an adventure, but she wasn’t one to be left out. Stress hurriedly set her list aside, grabbing her gear and tossing it into her bag before taking off.<br/>
By the looks of things, a lot of people were getting set and flying out to meet Scar in the strange new place, some even flying by her sides.</p><p>She cast them a smile shouting, “Race ya!” over her shoulder, shooting ahead in a shower of firework sparks.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Surprise! A wild Stress! I don’t really watch Stress so I might get her horrendously wrong, but she’s here! :D</p><p>Also I made her a witch because I mean. She lives in a skull and has a brewery. She’s a nice witch tho. Mainly bc I don’t think Stress is physically capable of being mean.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before long, Stress found herself racing neck and neck with Doc of all people, the cyborg hellbent on winning this race. She grinned before firing off another rockets, pulling just a hair ahead.<br/>And then Doc fired his rocket.<br/>And then Stress.<br/>And then Doc.<br/>And then Stress.<br/>And then Doc slammed face-first into a tree at full speed.</p><p>“Oh my gosh- Doc are you alright?” Stress asked, catching the cyborgs arm to slow his fall. Didn’t need him breaking any more of his face...mechanics.<br/>Parts of the wiring sparked as he turned his head to look at Stress, the red light flickering before powering down, some of the circuitry broken from the impact.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Doc, here. Can you stand?” She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled him up to sit him down on a log. For as short as she was, Stress was surprisingly strong and Doc was shocked when the witch managed to haul him to his feet with ease.<br/>“D’you want me to try and fix this or call for Iskall?” Stress asked, glancing over the broken pieces as she bit her lip. It didn’t look too bad. The metal casing took the brunt of it though some solder holding the wires to the motherboard came undone from years and years of hasty repairs.<br/>“Doc, this looks a mess- not from the crash, but just in general.”</p><p>The cyborg at least had the decency to look sheepish.<br/>“It’s seen a lot of use, I guess.”</p><p>“I’ll say. Half the solder is cracked from age.”</p><p>“That bad huh. I don’t mind you fixing it up. if you don’t know where something goes though, please ask. I don’t need another incident of my arm being wired incorrectly.”</p><p>“Of course. Though erm- do you happen to have a soldering iron and some solder?” Stress laughed, pulling out an ender chest from her bag and plonked it on the jungle floor. They weren’t too far off from the coordinates and they were miles ahead of the others due to their excessive firework usage. Fixing up Doc wasn’t a setback, really, and Stress did feel bad about inadvertently breaking the cyborg.<br/>Even if it was his fault that he wasn’t looking where he was going.</p><p>Doc just smiled and pulled out a shulker with everything needed to repair him, powering the tool from a rather large redstone block.<br/>“Scar did say to gear up. I’d be stupid if I forgot this back home.”</p><p>Stress laughed again, “I suppose you’re right. Now, please hold still, I don’t want to hurt you.” She said, her lighthearted banter shifting to a more serious tone as she picked up the soldering iron and went to work fixing Doc back up.</p><p>Before long, Stress sat back, double checking her work to make sure it was correct.<br/>“That should be good, Doc.” She hummed happily as she set the solder iron down and carefully removed the wires that attached it to the power source, packing everything back away into the shulker box it all came from.</p><p>Doc stretched his arm out in front of him, smiling at the lack of sparks coming from him.<br/>“Thank you Stress.” He hummed, giving the witch an easy grin. “The others are probably already there. We should hurry up.”</p><p>“Are you really saying you’re down for a rematch?” The witch tilted her head at him, one hand on her hip. “If you crash into a tree, I’m not fixing you up again, I hope you know that.” She teased.</p><p>Doc simply responded by shoving everything into his own bag and taking off in a flurry of firework sparks.</p><p>“You’re heading the wrong way!”</p><p>And Stress had to hold back a laugh as Doc made a very inelegant 180, accompanied by an equally inelegant noise.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And now there’s a Doc.</p><p>The amount of times I typed “Dock” is way too many than I’d like to admit.</p><p>In all honesty, this chapter is more filler fluff. I started writing with the full intent to get these two to the meeting spot and then I had to watch as they did anything but. How dare my story be sentient.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grian sat down at the table, a thousand questions racing through his mind and none spilling from his lips. He had to be careful about what he said after all.</p><p>“I remember when this was first built, you know.” Thorn started, gazing about the room with his hands being his back. “So many faeries in the air, working on twisting the roots into shape and forming these exquisite arches.<br/>“And then I remember seeing you, there, sitting on the floor and a quill in your hand, writing out notes on a new charm you wanted to create.”</p><p>Grian did remember.<br/>He had himself a little nook in the room where he’d be out of the way of the others, his blue sweater sleeves pushed up to his elbows as a growing pile of broken quills accumulated next to him, handwriting elegantly adorning the thin parchment.<br/>He was a scholar of sorts. Or maybe a researcher was a better job description.<br/>Either way, Red spent most of his time in the library, searching for ways to make magic more efficient, more useful, create better spells and charms that would help out everyone.</p><p>That was before he became Grian, ditching the fake name and escaping this world upon seeing the lengths Thorn would go to just to sit on the throne alone.<br/>Grian knew that Thorn would be after him- after someone to create spells to cause harm. So he fled, changing the name he used and the sweater he wore, hiding from the other fae in the colour they could not see. Granted, it made finding his own sweater insanely hard, but if it meant safety, he’d live with the struggle.</p><p>“And finally, after months of working on it, you created this.” Thorn hummed, casting the charm Grian created on a quill and watched it as it floated in the air.</p><p>“The amount of research that it took to accomplish was so much more than I initially thought.” Grian replied, holding his tongue and searching for a sly way to ask his own questions.<br/>“But talking about memories can’t possibly be why we’re both here.”</p><p>“No, I suppose not. But reminiscing is a nice pastime, I must admit.” The king hummed as the quill fell from the air and landed on the table, letting the silence stretch just a few seconds too long, shattering it with sound before it became awkward.<br/>“The amount of magic in this world is fading, despite my best researchers searching for both an answer and a solution. Perhaps I’m foolish in asking you to join their ranks?”</p><p>“Maybe if you let the court have their own minds, magic would fade slower.” Okay, that wasn’t the right thing to say, but damn it felt good watching Thorn tense up, trying his best to keep his composure.</p><p>“I though your tune would change if you were separated from the fake faerie. It would appear I am mistaken.” Thorn hummed.<br/>“You must understand, everything that I do is to help them all. Look at the larger picture- if magic runs out, everything we know will collapse in a rather literal sense. It would be a wise decision to join the researchers, Red.”</p><p>Grian knew what was at stake. Magic practically powered their world, keeping charms going and the faeries in the sky.<br/>He wasn’t in a position to refuse either, cornered in the conversation with his back against the metaphorical wall, the exact thing he was trying to avoid.<br/>“If I accept, may I request something.” His tone indicated that he wasn’t asking.</p><p>“You may try. You’re not in a good position to bargain, Grian.” Thorn warned.</p><p>Grian nodded, forging ahead all the same.<br/>“Do not hurt Dust.”</p><p>“As long as you cooperate, Dust shall not be harmed.” The king nodded. Now that he had Red under his thumb, he had no use of the fake faerie. He could rot in the cage for all he cared. <br/>“You begin now, Red.” Thorn called over his shoulder as he walked away, his footsteps disappearing as he took the the air to fly away.</p><p>Grian stared up at the shelves, craning his neck to see the tops of them. He had a long way to go if he wanted to even begin researching.<br/>And yet somehow, he found the task calming. Like he was coming back to something familiar.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo was bored, to say the least. All the pebbles he had on his cell floor were now in the corridor, stuck there once they wouldn’t bounce back into his reach.<br/>
And with the guards around? He didn’t dare show off that he could touch the enchanted iron just to reach his pebbles.</p><p>So he fidgeted with his tie, undoing and redoing it in fancy patterns, racing himself to see just how fast he could make a decent knot. And when he grew bored of that, he hummed meaningless tunes to himself, only to be told off by a guard once the 2nd hour passed and he was still humming.</p><p>Mumbo pouted, sighing dramatically as he began to undo and redo the buttons on his suit jacket, though one of them must have been lose and it popped off easily. He stuck the button in his pocket and decided to keep the rest of his jacket fastened, lest anymore fall off.</p><p>God, who knew prison was so boring. How long had be been there? 3 hours? 4? It felt like forever.</p><p>“Dust.”</p><p>Mumbo perked up from his oh so elegant position on the floor, splayed out like a starfish as he stared up at the ceiling.<br/>
“Hmm?”</p><p>“Red made a deal for your safety.” Thorn spoke softly, his voice deceptively gentle and kind as if trying to hide the horrors he committed.</p><p>The words should have been relief- Grian was alive and went out of his way to protect Mumbo. But he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the deal was. And if Thorn was as predictable as Mumbo thought he was, he wasn’t getting any details about what Grians deal was.</p><p>“If I remember correctly, you enjoy to invent things, yes?”</p><p>Mumbo nodded. “Yeah but why do you ask?”</p><p>“Would you like to get out of this cage as well as work alongside Red?”</p><p>“What’s the catch?” The redstoner frowned, sitting up properly now and crossing his arms as he stared down the king.</p><p>“There is none. You work alongside Red on a team of researchers and inventors to find a way to get more magic into this world- preferably a reliable source- and once the pair of you are done, I let you go.” Thorn said simply.</p><p>“Why don’t I believe you.”</p><p>“We had a bad first impression.” Thorn lamented.<br/>
“I only want to save my people. If the magic disappears from this world, everything you see will fall apart.” He explained, “I need the pair of you more than I care to admit. I always did notice how often Red turned to you for ideas. I think you could help immensely and speed up Red’s progress.”</p><p>“May I speak with Red before I decide?”</p><p>“You will have to wait until he has a free moment, but yes. I will allow you to speak with him. Until then, you remain here.”</p><p>Well. What was a few more hours?</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Scar did not expect this many people to come the hundreds of miles just to hear an explanation.<br/>
But as the faces of nearly every hermit stared back at him, he figured he should explain why they were having a meeting in quite possibly the <em>worst</em> meeting room ever.</p><p>To fit everyone comfortably, they had to move to the roof for goodness sake. Their meeting room didn’t have a roof or 4 walls, much less a table and chairs for everyone to relax in.</p><p>“Right. Umm. You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come.” Scar started, his anxiety clear as he fumbled for words. Thankfully, everyone was patient with him and they stayed silent.<br/>
“I didn’t want to explain everything but I think Grian needs help.<br/>
“See- about a month ago, I accidentally discovered a secret that Grian didn’t want us to know- which is why I haven’t told anyone until now. But he needs help and I can’t explain how I know that he does, but he needs help.”</p><p>“That’s great and all, but where is Grian? Why not call the meeting in the shopping district? It’s definitely an easier location.” False chimed in, the diamond blade at her hip terrifyingly sharp.</p><p>Scar swallowed a gulp as he eyed the sword and False (not so helpfully) rest her hand on the pommel.<br/>
“Because he’s not in this realm anymore. There’s a faerie ring on the jungle floor that I think is our way to Grian. Unfortunately, it kills any living thing that steps inside, which is why we’re standing on Grians roof. Mumbo’s base is over there.” The wizard pointed to the other hanging house, not as elaborately decorated and full of little redstone gizmos.<br/>
“I don’t think Mumbos here anymore either.”</p><p>Doc spoke up. Something seemed off about the cyborg, but now wasn’t the time to focus on it. “What does this have to do with Grians secret?”</p><p>“Grian is fae. I think he either ran away or found himself back in his old world. And I don’t think that his world is doing too good if a faerie ring to that world is killing everything it touches.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m back on my cliffhanger bullshit.</p><p>Also- y’all should read some of my replies to other people’s comments. There’s some lore tidbits that I can’t quite cram into the story that a lot of you (I think) are missing. ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Instantly, Scars words were met with an uproar of noise, each hermit shouting their own question into the air and hoping for an answer to come back. Their voices were overlapping, making it hard to pick out one question from the onslaught and Scar gave up trying, taking an awkward step back as there was no way he could answer all of these at once.</p><p>“Settle down- settle down. We’re not gonna get anywhere if you all shout over each other.” Iskall stepped in, standing protectively in front of the wizard.</p><p>Stress glanced around the now-silent crowd, stepping to the front to ask her question.<br/>“Scar? D’ya think you could tell us everything that happened so far? Fill the rest of us in so we’re not clueless.”</p><p>“It’s kinda a long story-“</p><p>“We have time.” Stress piped up, sitting down on the roof as if it were kindergarten story time. And naturally, everyone else followed her lead.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Scar recounted his own past and why it exactly tied into to Grians past, the arguement that happened between them and what Scar had done (several were angry at him) before finishing off with why he gathered everyone.<br/>“I don’t know Grian’s side of things or what exactly we’re walking into. And I’ll admit, that’s a really bad place to start things off with because I don’t know how but you all are looking up to me like I have answers.” Scar rambled.</p><p>“It’s because you know the most, man.” The cyborg spoke up.<br/>“Listen, I don’t care what happened between you two. With all of us living as a community, accidentally discovering each other’s past was bound to happen eventually.”</p><p>“But what he di-“</p><p>Doc cut off Etho by plowing over his words with the grace of a steamroller, “No. we all know it. Living how we’ve been living? This was going to happen at one point or another. We can figure how to avoid this thing happening again later, but right now? I think we need our prankster back. The server’s been feeling dull lately.” He grinned, standing up and walking over to Scars side.</p><p>“I can’t say I particularly like going into this without a plan, or what you did, Scar, but count me in. It sounds like a battle is coming up and you’re gonna need me.” False too stood by Scar.</p><p>One by one, most of the hermits found themselves shoulder to shoulder at Scars side, the wizard himself smiling at their unconditional support.<br/>Even Etho was at his side despite protesting earlier.</p><p>Eventually, only Xisuma was left.</p><p>“Shishwamy?” </p><p>“It’s not that I don’t want to go. I do. But I think some people should stay behind to keep watch over the portal. You said yourself you haven’t got a plan. What if something goes wrong and it won’t open again? Or if you’re not ready for what’s on the other side and need outside help?<br/>“I don’t want this to be a one-way trip, I guess.” He explained, eyes passing over everyone on the other side of the roof.</p><p>“That’s a smart move, actually. Why didn’t I think of that?” Scar mused.<br/>“I guess then a small part will stay behind with Xisuma and the rest will start preparing and making plans to head in.” He added in a moment of leadership. A few people started shuffling about and the two groups were made- Xisuma would be staying behind to keep watch with Cub, Joe, TFC, Cleo and Impulse while the rest would go with Scar.</p><p>“Well I guess the first thing I need to figure out is now to get the faerie ring open without killing us.”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>To say seeing Red back in the library was weird was a complete understatement.<br/>He had tried to get her to escape with him once Thorn was in power and she declined, watching his blue sweater slip through the faerie ring before disappearing for what she thought was forever.</p><p>How sorely mistaken she was. Because here he was, sitting on the library floor in the same spot he always was in, books upon books piled up around him, parchment unfurled before him, his glasses on his face and his hair pulled back in the messiest ponytail she had ever seen.</p><p>It was like stepping back in time. Back to when he did this for fun, creating new charms for the court to use, finding new ways to use magic.<br/>Back to when there was an over-abundance.</p><p>“Red? Is that you?” She asked hesitantly, as if speaking would shatter the picture-perfect moment and Red would disappear, the entire image a memory playing cruelly before her eyes.</p><p>Red’s head perked up at the sound of a voice, his eyes lighting up with joy. “Lemur!”</p><p>“You remember me?” She asked softly, slowly walking towards him, a smile on her face from the childhood nickname. </p><p>“How could I forget? We hung out together all the time when we were younger. How have you been?” Red smiled, scrambling to stand up so he could hug her.</p><p>“I thought you left us, Red.” Lemur said into his shoulder as they hugged for the first time in many years. “We all thought you were gone forever.”</p><p>“Heh...yeah funny story about that- but nows not the time. I gotta keep doing research.”</p><p>“Making a new charm?”</p><p>“Kinda the opposite- figuring out a way to get more magic here. Thorn wanted me on the research team, but I have yet to meet any of them. I’m reading up on what they have already before I try to do some of my own tests.” He explained.<br/>In the years Red had been gone, he seemed different. More confident in himself, if she had to name it.</p><p>“Well in that case, let me welcome you to the research team.” Netty smiled warmly at Red.</p><p>It was good to have an old friend back after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact: acronyms are hard to make. It was initially gonna be the “evo” research team but damn it’s hard to figure out what evo should stand for aside from well. <br/>Evo.</p><p>Also- I have no idea how Netty speaks or acts, so she’s going to probably be WILDLY ooc.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With the new book Iskall gave him, Scar read.<br/>A lot.<br/>He always had a book open in front of him, his other hand holding a pencil to jot down notes and translations that he thought would be useful, spells to look into later and the history of Fae magic. He needed the information to keep everyone safe.<br/>The other hermits tried to help, offering to read the runes without realising they weren’t galactic and giving up easily. </p><p>Stress often brought Scar tea and food, both going uneaten because he didn’t want to accidentally dirty the book.<br/>Too many cups of coffee near his books back in the guild taught him that much.<br/>She cast worried looks over her shoulder towards Scar whenever she came around- he looked like a skeleton. Pale and gaunt, his eyes always staring at runes on a page and a growing shadow under his eyes. She didn’t think he slept much anymore.</p><p>False trained with Doc and Iskall a lot- more than she probably should be. She woke early and went to bed late, every hour in-between spent with her sword in hand and determination in her eyes. It wasn’t really clear who she’d be fighting, but she damn well knew what she was fighting for and that was enough.<br/>Once a hermit, always a hermit.<br/>She smiled bitterly, putting her energy back into trying to stab Doc...in a friendly way.</p><p>Xisuma, Cleo, Joe and TFC worked on building more houses in the jungle, carefully attaching them to the tree trunks since Grian wasn’t here to manipulate the vines around. The group worked fast and in a few days, they already had 6 little cottages so everyone could spread out.<br/>Trying to fit 20 or so people into 2 minuscule houses didn’t go well the first night and everyone discovered just how loud Iskall snored.<br/>The expansion was necessary, especially since Xisuma would be staying behind with a small group to watch the portal.<br/>And to try and spare as many people from Iskall as physically possible. The guys snores sounded like a train horn.</p><p>Cub had travelled back to his pyramid to gather some basic supplies to bring back, his mind racing with ideas for surveillance and little quality-of-life improvements. Wouldn’t it be great to have a farm in the canopy so they’d never have to touch the sickly ground?<br/>So Cub set to working on it, spending hour after hour perfecting the design. Who knew how long they’d be watching the portal after all?</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Scar felt guilty.<br/>Here he was, leading the hermits into the fae realm and he had no clue what was awaiting them on the other side.<br/>Maybe Grian left because he wanted to.<br/>Maybe this was a pointless expedition.</p><p>And yet, as he stared out the window at the other hermits, it all felt right somehow. That they were gonna be okay.<br/>Somehow.</p><p>The wizard sighed, turning back to his book at hand, the 8th one this week. He didn’t remember when he last slept.</p><p>The group was relying on him to keep them safe- he had to protect them all. He needed to know more about the fae to do so. He’d push himself to the limit and then a little bit more to accomplish the impossible task. He wouldn’t rest, reading runes until he learned them all, burning candles so low that they nearly lit the table on fire- he’d do anything to keep the hermits safe.</p><p>He had bags under his eyes.</p><p>He hadn’t slept in so long.<br/>God, he felt so tired- just a little nap wouldn’t hurt? No- one more page, one more page, he could do it. <br/>Just one more.</p><p>
  <em>The fae are some of the best when it comes to creating new ways to use magic. In recent times, Red has created upwards of 30 charms and 50 spells within a few years. One of his latest charms is an improved and refined version of a preexisting charm. The charm allows fae magic to be stored inside crystals for an indefinite period of time with little to no adverse affects.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>The magic doesn’t deplete over time like the old one did. Instead it utilises the crystals intrinsic power to keep the magic contained rather than pull the energy from the held magic itself, leading to a much slower depletion of magic. The uses of this charm are not fully explored, but a common one is within weaponry, embedding a charged crystal into the handle or blade to allow for a powerful magic attack with no casting time. These are often one-time-use unless the physical crystal is able to be reached to be recharged.<br/>An alternative use is as staff foci for spells, allowing for much more powerful results.<br/>However, these crystals- if used in the context of spell casting- will eventually run out of magic and need to be charged, though much slower than in traditional weaponry.</em>
</p><p>Spell casting?<br/>Crystals?<br/>Staff foci?<br/>Too much lined up with his own crystals.<br/>Scar pulled out his crystals from his robe pocket, studying them in a new light.</p><p>How had he never noticed it?<br/>There were runes swirling about inside the gem itself. More specifically, fae runes.</p><p>He knew how to open the rift.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Updates are probably gonna slow down. Finals week is hittin hard.</p><p>All the same, I hope you enjoy this chapter and it’s cliffhanger. :3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So...why are you on the research team?”</p><p>“Same as you. I want to figure out a way to save our world.” Lemur replied easily, pacing about the room, her hands brushing over the stacks of books as she walked past. “Thorn has known for a while that magic here is finite. No one else ever addressed the matter- all they cared about were their revel dances and parties. Even Feather.”</p><p>Grian bristled at the name of his long-dead queen being dragged through the mud like this. She cared about her people. Smiles were so easy to find in her court. She cared, right?<br/>Or was she just ignoring the larger problem like everyone else?<br/>For the first time, doubt entered Grians mind. Was Feather good? He didn’t know.</p><p>Still, Lemur kept going, ignoring Grian’s obvious discomfort and internal panic. “Naturally when Thorn asked for people to help research the matter, I jumped at the chance. I could fix this, you know? I could do something as amazing as my friend Red always did.<br/>“I envied you, you know. You made it look so easy. Inventing things.” She sighed.<br/>“But I guess it’s come to me with practise too. I’ve pinpointed what worlds generate the most magic and the best way to store it for transport. Even Thorn didn’t know how to do that- he just stole from impure sources, storing them in inefficient ways. So much magic lost that way.” Lemur mused, leaning over Grians shoulder.<br/>“But I have a question for you- why did you join?”</p><p>“I was forced to join so my friend wouldn’t get killed.” Grian said cooly, an absolutely frigid expression on his face.<br/>Whoever Lemur was now...she wasn’t the same bouncy, easy-go-lucky friend he had ages ago. She was older and wiser, hardened by circumstance and forged with steel. <br/>She followed Thorn, because logically, he was the only choice for a leader- he was the one who addressed the problem no one else acknowledged.<br/>And Grian could understand why. It wasn’t that hard.<br/>But he couldn’t accept it, some part in his mind screaming that there was another way from what Lemur found.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>It felt like months had passed until he got to see Grian. Sure he was treated well and kept alive, but he was bored to tears. His sense of time slipped away, seconds were grains of sand being washed away by the waves and dragged out to sea, swallowed by the ocean and lost forever.<br/>He wondered what the other hermits were up do. Did they know what happened? Did they know that he and Grian weren’t in the world anymore?<br/>...Did they care?</p><p>Hurried footsteps clattered down a hall, bursting into the room. “Dust! Oh my gosh I’m so sorry it’s taken me days and I’ve been so busy and-“</p><p>“Red!” Mumbo perked up at the voice, smiling happily at the familiar face. “I’d hug you if I could.” He grinned, carefully twisting a hand between the bars to squeeze Grians hand.<br/>“Thorn wants me to work with you on the whole magic issue. Should I?” Mumbo let go of the faeries hand, lest any of the guards see that he could get close to the enchanted iron.</p><p>“Having you there would help. You always were the best at building little contraptions.” Grian smiled back, equally as happy to see Mumbo again. “Though we don’t use redstone- it’s runes that we inscribe onto the components. You used to be really good at it.”</p><p>“I’m sure you  can reteach me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter 33</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iskall kept forgetting he had Grians sweater. He wasn’t even sure why he had it, or why it felt like such a secret, but he had it and it was soft, and he used his bag as a pillow because of it.</p><p>Of course, he had to focus on the task at hand- not getting stabbed by a very determined False. In the past few days, she had honed her skills and then some, her actions sharp and precise, deadly to all those that opposed her.<br/>Which, currently, was Iskall. And he was trying his best to <em>not</em> become the next scabbard for False’s blade.</p><p>“Guys, I think I wanna call a meeting.” Scar said, walking towards the duel while staring down at his book full of notes. Doc threw an arm out to stop Scar in his tracks, and the poor wizard bonked right into it.<br/>“Doc!” He whined.</p><p>“Look where you’re walking.” The cyborg replied, pointing to the flashing blades moving too fast for Scar to keep track.</p><p>“Oh. Er-thanks for the save. Anyway- meeting in 10? I gotta tell everyone else.”</p><p>“Want us to help? We’re pretty much done here.” False said calmly, holding Iskall at sword point almost casually. She won the duel. Again.</p><p>Scar eyed the scene before deciding not to ever make False angry and nodded. “That’d be great, yeah.”</p><p>It wasn’t long after that everyone was in the new meeting room, thanks to the efforts of the four-person build team that had been working tirelessly. </p><p>“While I still don’t know much about the condition of the Fae realm since the only information I have is from Grian’s books, I can’t say for certain what lies ahead.” Scar started, glancing over the crowd of everyone before him. “If some of you decide to stay here once we’re done in this meeting, I don’t blame you.<br/>“But what I do know is that magic there is running low and that has led to one person overthrowing the courts and taking up solitary rule to address the matter. His methods are rather brutal and we must be careful.<br/>“If any of you have red clothing, wear it- the fae cannot see people in red until they make noise. Never give out your real name, instead use a nickname or a fake one. Iron will burn the fae, but if your diamond sword is better, bring that. Or both, if you can manage to duel wield.” Scar listed off, his tone deadly serious. “They can use glamour to disguise themselves, so be aware of the fact that they might use our own faces against us.”<br/>Had the words come from anyone else in any other scenario, they would have been laughed off. But the hermits has to trust Scar and the fact that faeries are real. It was all they had.</p><p>“Any questions?”</p><p>No one spoke up. They knew that a fight was coming, and that some of them might not make it. </p><p>Xisumas party grew while Scars shrunk as more people decided that they shouldn’t go- that less was better, more stealthy, less noticeable.<br/>Less people meant it was less likely for someone to be the weak link.<br/>Scar understood perfectly well.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Mumbo picked up on the different way to create inventions rather quickly. Maybe it was the fact that Grian had taught the redstoner well, maybe it was the fact that it was muscle memory.</p><p>Already he had made a small flying model of a faerie, watching with wonder as the runes etched into the pieces lit up in sequence, letting the metal faerie bat it’s wings to steer itself about.</p><p>“See, you got it!” Grian cheered on Mumbo, smiling with wonder at the metal faerie. The redstoner pulled out the crystal that was powering it and the glow of the runes faded from sight.</p><p>“I get the feeling that making an automaton is easier than figuring out how to make magic.” Mumbo sighed, turning over the faerie automaton in his hands.</p><p>“You’re right. Even the research team has nothing. They tried using an improved version of an old charm to power crystals like that one and use that as a power source. It kinda works, but it’s still not a renewable source.”</p><p>“You said that this had been a problem for years- I don’t think that we’ll be able to solve the problem in a few days.”</p><p>“But the less time we spend here, the better. They’re probably worried about us, Dust. Time isn’t the same here. It’s faster. So we’ve probably been gone for a few months now, despite it being only a couple of weeks for us.” Grian explained sadly, his hands fidgeting with the cover of a book as he fluttered about the room, his feet just barely above the floor.</p><p>“-and hes right in here if you’d like to speak with him.” Came Lemur’s voice from the hall, growing louder as she flew closer. The weird thing was that she seemed to be speaking to someone, and that person was walking- not flying. Which meant they weren’t fae, or couldn’t fly.</p><p>Grians brain reeled with realisation. This person likely knew him, and couldn’t fly.<br/>“Blue?” He asked nervously, flitting over to the entrance of the library, his conversation with Mumbo finished.</p><p>“You’re kidding me-you weren’t lying.”</p><p>That was his voice, no doubt about it. “Blue!” Grian flew out into the hallway, a smile on his face as an all too familiar friend stared back.<br/>Taurtis.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Surprise.</p><p>I’m curious as to what you think the next chapter will hold. ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter 34</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Scar can I have a moment?” Xisuma found himself asking the wizard once the meeting was over and people had dispersed.</p><p>“Yeah sure- what’s up?” </p><p>Xisuma motioned does Scar to follow him to the treetops, the branches close enough that climbing to the canopy was easy. Once there, Xisuma sat down and waited for Scar to do the same.</p><p>The wizard frowned with confusion but followed all the same, sitting on a branch with Xisuma. “Everything okay?”</p><p>“I’ve had this on my mind for a while now, and I don’t want to sound cruel about it- really- but it’s something that I feel needs to be said.” Xisuma started. His words were slightly muffled from the helmet he wore.<br/>“I’m trusting that you know what you’re leading them into. I’m also trusting that you’ll be coming back with Mumbo and Grian. If...if you lose anyone on the way- don’t come back.”</p><p>The words were a slap to the face.</p><p>“I mean it. I’m not particularly happy about what you did to Grian as it stands. If you lose someone in the fae realm, that’s the final straw.” Xisuma’s words were cold and calculated, like he had days to think about it.<br/>Which he did.<br/>And it was clear from his troubled expression, the faint glimmer of tears about to spill over, that he hated the words he had uttered into existence. But it needed to be said, and no one else could say them.<br/>It was one of the unspoken sentences that had been floating around all the hermits, taunting each one with the terrifying possibility of death. And now it had been voiced and the presence of it was so much more real.</p><p>Scar nodded solemnly. “I understand.” His voice was soft and hurt, the words tumbling out and crashing to the floor. He knew that he couldn’t let anyone die, but it was always a distant thought. A future that he felt wouldn’t come to pass.<br/>But now? It was all too real. He knew what was at stake and he couldn’t afford to be reckless.<br/>He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.<br/>“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Xisuma. We both know it needed to be said.” The wizard caught the others expression before carefully heading down the tree, leaving the founder up there alone to watch the sunset and wonder if he should have said those words at all.</p><p>It was well past midnight when he finally came back down.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>It felt like he was slowly being torn between worlds. Hermits or Fae? Friendships or family? Fun or duty? He didn’t know which he should choose.<br/>Here were all his old friends, still as friendly as ever, acting as if nothing had changed over the years.<br/>And yet, Mumbo stood behind him, his automaton in his hands and confusion on his face. <br/>Mumbo didn’t remember any of them. Of course he didn’t.</p><p>“Dust, this is an old friend- Blue. He’s one of my closest friends from childhood- we used to live together before he got his own place. Oh! And that’s Lemur. I forgot to introduce you guys. She’s super chill.” The words seemed to tumble from Grians mouth, once sentence barely ending before the next started.<br/>“Blue, Lemur, this is my friend, Dust. He has a bit of amnesia and doesn’t remember much.” He lied to explain away Mumbos memory issue.<br/>Mumbo waved awkwardly.</p><p>Grian knew he was bouncing around, happy that he had his old friends back, his glasses sliding down his face as he moved about. Despite being giddy, he knew that Blue wasn’t here to simply visit, and he calmed down alarmingly fast, his mood shift obvious.<br/>“Though I’m guessing you’re not here for a simple hello.”</p><p>“I was. She’s here to check in on you.” Blue explained, shooting a glance at Lemur before hugging Grian and backing out of the room, his footsteps pattering down the hall.</p><p>Lemur had the decency to look surprised as Blue went back to his business before she flew further into the room to see the stack of books and Mumbos mini workshop that he set up in the library.</p><p>“How have things been going?” She nodded to the books.</p><p>“I’m more or less caught up with the information you have. Is there a lab somewhere for Dust and I to work in?” He asked.</p><p>“A few yes. I can set one aside for you two.” </p><p>“Thank you. Do you know when it’ll be ready for us?”</p><p>Lemur shrugged. “Likely a few days. Take the time to rest up in the meanwhile. You’ve been at this for far too long.”</p><p>And indeed, Grian looked frazzled with bags under his eyes and his hair slowly coming undone from the small ponytail he had it in. He had moved his glasses to the top of his head and was currently looking for them as he packed up his notes and quills.<br/>Mumbo helpfully pointed to the top of his own head and Grian nodded his thanks, sticking them into a smaller pocket on the side of his bag.</p><p>“Let me know when the labs ready?” He asked Lemur as he flew past, Mumbo walking at his side.</p><p>“Yeah of course. You staying in your old place?”</p><p>“Well now I am. I thought it would have been gone by now.” Grian smiled, heading off on an all-too familiar path.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter 35</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iskall watched Xisuma lead Scar down a path, the wizard nervous-sure- but still bubbly and happy.<br/>When he came back, he was alone, his mood sullen as he shuffled slowly along.</p><p>He knew he’d tell Xisuma off later, but for now? Scar came first.<br/>“Scar? What’s going on up there?” He found himself asking, tapping the wizards forehead gently.</p><p>“I...Xisuma...he- he said I can’t fail. That’s all.” Scar brushed off Iskall.</p><p>“I know that’s not the truth, but I won’t force you to talk right now. When you’re ready, come find me?” <br/>Scar nodded at the offer, his slippers shuffling away as he made his way down to the jungle floor, sitting next to the faerie ring in silence.</p><p>Iskall found Scar doing that a lot nowadays. He couldn’t blame him either- it <em>was</em> killing everything that stepped inside and their only way to save Grian and Mumbo. Everything they had- all their plans and preparations were wrapped around Scar and the faerie ring. It was hard to ignore the pressure from it all.</p><p>If Iskall was a betting man (which he wasn’t, that role fell to Keralis), he’d bet that Xisuma raised the stakes even higher on Scar. Sooner or later, the wizard wouldn’t be able to succeed, wouldn’t be able to keep everyone happy. Already there were too many variables that none of them could account for- the state of the fae realm, how to get back to this world, or where the prankster even was. How did anyone expect this to actually work? Hell, there was magic involved. Nothing ever went according to plan when it came to magic.</p><p>Iskall sighed, shaking away his thoughts and went to find Xisuma, following the rope-swing bridges until he saw the founder climbing down a tree.</p><p>“Oh uhh..hi Iskall. Everything good?”</p><p>Iskall cut straight to the point. “What did you say to him?”</p><p>He didn’t expect Xisuma to look so...guilty. Everything about him seemed to crumple under Iskalls gaze.<br/>“I shouldn’t have said it. I’m sorry- I’m so sorry...”</p><p>“If it’s that bad- why are you apologising to me? Say that to the person who needs to hear it. He’s by the faerie ring, like always. I’m not sure if he’ll be too happy about seeing you at the moment, but I don’t think he has the heart to push you away.”</p><p>Xisuma nodded as he quickly gathered himself, brushing past Iskall on the narrow bridge before stopping after he took a few steps and turned to look at the other.<br/>“I...I said that if he lost anyone in the process..that he shouldn’t come back.<br/>“Since you asked, and I kinda dodged the question.”</p><p>He took a deep breath, waiting to hear the founders footsteps fade away.<br/>They didn’t.</p><p>“You’re...not going to yell at me?” He asked hesitantly.</p><p>Iskall found that he had to bite back the bitter words ‘do you want me to’ and replace them with a much tamer “Its not my place to tell you off.”</p><p>Xisuma nodded slowly, taking a few backwards steps before he spun around and hurried along to find Scar.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Chapter 36</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo had no idea where he was going.<br/>It didn’t help that he couldn’t zone out and just follow the footsteps in front of him because Grian didn’t <em>make</em> footsteps anymore. He had taken to flying a few inches above the floor- a trend a lot of fae seemed to follow. The only exception so far was Blue, and it took only one glance to understand why.</p><p>Blue didn’t have wings.<br/>Or, more specifically, his wings were broken clean off right at the base. He couldn’t fly.</p><p>Mumbo sensed there was a story there and he made to ask Grian before the faerie turned around before a small house embedded into the tree. It was clearly in a residential section as other houses were situated similarly, but Grian’s featured little paintings on the door.</p><p>“Here- my old place.” Grian said softly, opening the door before Mumbo could see what each painting was.</p><p>It looked...nearly identical to the house hanging from the jungle canopy. There was still the loft with the bed, the kitchen crammed into the corner and a little bench beneath a window, surrounded by bookshelves and hanging bottles filled with potion ingredients.<br/>The only difference was that it was clearly neglected. Cobwebs hung in corners and dust had settled on practically every single surface. Yeah, it had been cleaned up a bit and there was some small signs of life, it still felt empty and unloved. While the jungle canopy house was bright and lived in, full of the yellow sunshine that cast everything in gold, this house was grey and dismal. It held sadness in the air as of the house was about to cry and if the walls could talk, they’d be the best storytellers there were.<br/>There was history here.<br/>Mumbo had no idea how he knew.</p><p>“There should be a small spare room in the loft.” Grian murmured as he shut the door behind them. His voice was so quiet, softened with melancholy as his mind played memories before him.</p><p>Mumbo nodded, setting down the automaton on the table once he had brushed off some of the dust and sat down on the bench as if they were back in the jungle.<br/>“You okay? You seem sad.”</p><p>The faerie looked up at Mumbos words, and he didn’t know how else to describe his face except <em>lost</em>. “I don’t know what to do, Mumby.” He whispered, unshed tears cracking his voice.</p><p>“Hey, G. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.” He smiled, reaching a hand out to the faerie.<br/>“We can do this, okay? We can do this.”</p><p>“I’m scared. What if we can’t? What about Thorn, and Lemur and Blue, and all my old friends, what if we can’t fix the magic issue? We’re stuck here- there’s not enough magic left to open a rift.” Grian stammered, tears of frustration finally falling down his face. He let them fall, unable to find the energy to wipe them away. “Nothing works- the research team has been at this for years with no result, we’ve been here for about two weeks and time goes faster here, and what are the Hermits doing, do they even know we’re missing?”</p><p>Mumbo pulled Grian in for a hug, holding his friend close as he hyperventilated, crying silently and shaking from the effort.<br/>“I...I want to give you answers because I can’t stand seeing you like this and knowing I’m powerless to do much. We’ll find a solution, I know it. I don’t know how or why, but I know that we’re gonna do it. And I know we’re gonna get out of this, okay?” He murmured, “We’re gonna get out of this. I promise.”</p><p>“You promise?”</p><p>“Yep. I promise.” Mumbo gave Grian a squeeze before pulling out of the hug and standing up, walking over to the kitchen as if it were his own house and started to cook up some food, slowly filling the room with the same yellow feeling that the jungle house had.<br/>“I think a decent meal had been long overdue, don’t you?” Mumbo grinned over his shoulder, two plates of french toast in his hands.</p><p>Sure things felt impossible and they had researched every option possible, but right here right now? They were doing okay.<br/>Things were gonna be okay.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Have some (sorta) fluff.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Chapter 37</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were absolutely not okay.</p><p>Scar didn’t look up at the footsteps slowly approaching, staying in his curled up position on the jungle floor, not caring that it was barely lit up and the monsters were slowly starting to emerge.<br/><em>Let them come</em>, he thought.<br/><em>Let them come.</em></p><p>Maybe then he’d be able to escape just how numb he felt. Feel something for a change, even it was pain. At least he’d feel something.<br/>It was as if his body decided it was so exhausted from feeling everything that it wanted some peace and quiet for a change. Left him feeling 3 inches to the left and apathetic. Empty. People weren’t people anymore- rather an amalgamation of shapes that masqueraded as his friends.<br/>It was all just...shapes.</p><p>Everyone was relying on him- he was the only one who could read fae runes, he was the only one who could protect them, he was the only one who could open the faerie ring.<br/>Everything was on his shoulders and he was crumbling under the weight.<br/>He couldn’t take it anymore and he still found himself plowing onward because he <em>needed</em> to. He needed to fix his mistakes.</p><p>But damn, was it hard to do when there’s 20 or so people staring you down at all times.</p><p>It was as if Scar was on a stage, forced to perform in a play he never signed up for- he never even got the script and was expected to know what to do.<br/> Like he was being watched at all times- no watched wasn’t the right word. Judged.<br/>Scar felt like he was being judged at all times, forced to know rules he didn’t understand.</p><p>His finger traced patterns in the dirt. His eyes followed a brave little worm squirming away. He did not look up at the footsteps approaching.</p><p>“Scar?” The footsteps grew closer, stopping behind him. He heard Xisuma sit down behind him, picking up a stick and fidgeting with it.<br/>“Iskall said you were down here.”</p><p>He didn’t reply. What would he have said?<br/>No words felt right in his mouth so he held them all back. Let the well of words run dry for once.</p><p>“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Scar stopped tracing patterns, the silence stretching as he struggled for the right sentence to say.<br/>“I’m sorry for not being enough.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I’m sorry for not being enough. For not knowing enough. Not skilled enough. Whatever made you feel like I should leave, I’m sorry for not being good enough for your standards.” He said.<br/>His voice was clearly strained, hiccuping as he tried to hold back tears. “I’m sorry for not being good enough.”</p><p>“Scar that wasn’t what I-“</p><p>“Then what did you mean? Why did you say that if you didn’t mean it? You have no idea what position I’m in, so don’t try to make that situation better by backpedaling. Just say what you want and leave me be.” He snapped, words coming out in a rushed mess, angry, frustrated tears streaming down his face. “Please.” Scar added, his voice so much quieter and broken, a soft and shattered whimper lose into the night.<br/>“I can’t do this, X. I can’t. Already it’s just Me, Doc, Iskall, Stress, and False going. Everyone else got scared off by the meeting earlier.<br/>“And if- if something happens to any of them, I...I wouldn’t forgive myself. You wouldn’t forgive me- you made that clear earlier.”</p><p>Xisuma’s shoulders slumped as he listened to Scar. What words would make this better? It wasn’t like he could fix everything with a wave of his hand, pretend Scar didn’t cross a line none of them had prepared for. He felt powerless.<br/>And well. If <em>he</em> felt powerless, he could only imagine what Scar felt.</p><p>“What I said was wrong of me to say. I didn’t know how hard this has all been on you and I’m sorry for not knowing. I’m sorry all of this has fallen to you and that no one is really able to help out much. I’m sorry that I failed you- both as a leader and as a friend.” He said, his words soft and hesitant.<br/>“I’m scared too, Scar. I’m worried that I’m going to watch some of my closest friends die. It’s selfish of me, but I don’t think I could handle anyone dying. I care about you all.<br/>“I’m scared that something will go wrong and I can’t help, but I’m scared that if I do go, I’ll be a burden, or the people back here will need me. I’m at a loss too, Scar. None of us know what to do, and it was wrong of me to take it all out on you.”</p><p>Xisuma let the silence stretch though it was a comfortable silence, all tension gone from the air. Their truths were hanging in the wind and it was up to them to accept it.</p><p>The founder heard Scar take a deep breath, his hat falling into his lap as he felt the wizards head on his own shoulder, the two sitting back to back, heads looking to the night sky.</p><p>“The stars are different here.” Scar said finally, his voice barely a whisper. “In my world, there was so many more. Different constellations dotting the sky. We had 2 moons-Aptnos and Lyren.”</p><p>“It sounds beautiful.”</p><p>“It was...I miss it.”</p><p>“When we get Grian and Mumbo back, maybe you can convince G to paint your night sky on the ceiling of Larry.” Xisuma suggested. He didn’t know why Scar was telling him this, but if it was the wizards way of apologising, he’d take it.</p><p>“He paints?”</p><p>“Better than most.”</p><p>“I’ll have to ask him to do that for me.” Scar smiled bitterly, the last of his tears flowing down the sides of his face and tickling his ears. “If he’ll forgive me.”</p><p>“It’s Grian, I’m sure he will. He’s probably just as torn up about this all as you are.” Scar only hummed in response, letting the moment last for as long as he could make it.</p><p>“Xisuma?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Why did you start this realm? Why is it a place for people to run away from their pasts?”</p><p>Xisuma took his time to respond, making sure every word was deliberate and meaningful.<br/>“Because everyone deserves a second chance and a place to feel safe.”</p><p>“Do you think Grian will still see this world as one like that?”</p><p>“I don’t know. I hope he does, but I can’t speak for him myself.<br/>“Any other questions on your mind?” Xisuma asked, but his words were met with only silence. He carefully turned to look at Scar, finding the wizard asleep on his shoulder and he smiled softly as he carried him up to the canopy.<br/>Everyone else was already asleep, and Xisuma set Scar down on the bed in the cabin he scared with Iskall before retreating back to his own.</p><p>“Night, Scar.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I think this is the longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Chapter 38</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He didn’t realise where he was walking until he stopped in front of a very familiar door. One he hadn’t found himself in front of for years. One that had an little paintings on it, meticulously done and incredibly detailed.</p><p>He rest his hand over the one with a poppy wrapped around headphones.<br/>It was him. It was the painting Red had done for him, to immortalise their friendship in pretty pigment.</p><p>He should knock on the door, pretend it was all fine. Pretend it was just like the old times. His hand balled into a fist and drew back.<br/>But part of him held back. Told him that things were different, that Red left for a reason, that things were better off left in the past.</p><p>The voices sounding from inside proved that.<br/>Red had a friend over and didn’t want any part of Taurtis anymore. Red moved on.</p><p>He should get back to his own place anyway, he thought, and he let his hand drop to his side again. They tried sharing Red’s house for a while- he built an extra room for Taurtis to stay- but something always went wrong, they squabbled over little details and eventually it was decided that he’d move out. Sometimes your best friends are your worst roommates, he supposed.</p><p>Just as Taurtis turned away, he heard the door open and the tall man from earlier, Dust if he remembered correctly, was standing in the doorframe.</p><p>“You’re Blue, right?” He asked gently, tilting his head.</p><p>Even if Dust couldn’t remember him, he acted almost the same, every mannerism, every quirk the same as before. Taurtis nodded.</p><p>“Come in? I made a little too much french toast.” Dust invited, stepping aside in the doorframe to allow Taurtis to pass.</p><p>“Why invite me?” He asked, taking a hesitant step forward.</p><p>Dust looked conflicted as he thought of what to say.<br/>“Red...he. He needs a friend. He looked so happy when he saw you, and I noticed you out the window and I thought...” he trailed off.</p><p>“He’s lucky, Dust.” Taurtis murmured as he brushed past the other and took a plate of the food. “He’s lucky to have a friend like you.”</p><p>To Dust’s credit, the man blushed at the compliment, unsure how to really react while Taurtis made his way inside. He was standing awkwardly inside the home that he left ages ago, his hand jammed into his pockets and he fidgeted with the seam inside. The other awkwardly held his plate.</p><p>“Look,” Red smiled bitterly when he looked up at who the newcomer was. “The gangs all here.”<br/>It was clear he had been crying barely moments earlier, his eyes red and cheeks still glistening with drying tears.</p><p>Though, he had to admit, Red was right. The dynamic was clearly different since Dust didn’t remember him, but the core group of friends, they were all there. Taurtis would bet that Dust didn’t know which painting on the door was his own.<br/>“We used to cause so much trouble.” He offered.</p><p>“Me? A troublemaker? I can’t imagine that.” Dust raised an eyebrow at Taurtis. “You’re not pulling my chain, are you?”</p><p>“No, no, we used to hide from the court a lot. Make the older faeries worry about us, or cause mischief with overcharged crystals.” Red supplied, his smile growing as he spoke.</p><p>Dust frowned. “Overcharged? I thought they held magic and it was safe?”</p><p>“Well, they do. But sometimes, if the situation is just right, you can cram them full of magic to the point where it’s kinda dangerous. And we had a lot of fun with them, right Blue?” </p><p>“If by ‘kinda dangerous’ you mean ‘highly reactive and explosive’ then yes, yes we did. Grew an entire tree when one accidentally exploded. It’s still standing, if you were wondering Red.” </p><p>The house filled up with yellow laughter for the first time in a long while as Red grinned like a madman at the memory. Taurtis snuck a glance at Dust and felt a little guilty.</p><p>It wasn’t hard to see the sadness and longing on Dust’s face as he watched Taurtis laugh about old memories with Red. He wanted to remember- it was only natural after all.<br/>“Hey, don’t sweat it. They’ll come back one way or another.” Blue reassured, gently elbowing Dust in the side.</p><p>“Part of me doesn’t want them to. I like who I am now, what if who I was is different?”</p><p>“Even if you don’t remember much, you’re still the same person. You still act the same way you did as a kid. Trust me.”</p><p>“Thanks, Blue. It means a lot.”</p><p>“Oh like I don’t?” Red teased, earning a chuckle from Dust.</p><p>Dust rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips all the same, “You know what I meant, Red. Why don’t you two catch up? It sounds like you have a lot to talk about.” He excused himself, stepping outside the cabin before either could say a word.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’ll be honest, I wrote this a few days ago and didn’t post it because I didn’t quite like it.<br/>I still don’t, but there some Important Plot here and it didn’t flow as naturally in the rewrites.<br/>So have Taurtis narrating for once. As a little treat. ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Chapter 39</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo felt like an outsider, a stranger in a conversation he was a part of. It felt awkward, like he was stumbling about in a conversation he should have been a part of.</p><p>He not-so-elegantly excused himself, heading out the door and closing it behind him before he could hear a word.</p><p>Not that he had any idea where to go or what to do with himself, but he needed the air. So he sat on the front stairs for a bit, his back against the door and studied the faeries flying past.<br/>
It was relaxing, almost, to just sit there and let his mind wander as he people-watched.</p><p>He didn’t know how long it had been, but he heard the sound of the door opening behind him, the wood creaking just a bit.<br/>
“When I first moved here, I missed the friends I had made in the place I lived before.” Grian said softly from behind Mumbo. He heard the click of the door shut and the shuffle of feet as he sat next to the redstoner. “It’s only natural, right? To miss the people you’re so used to seeing every day.<br/>
“So once I got settled here, I invited them all over and we had a little party. I think we annoyed the neighbours with how loud we were at times and we stayed up super late, but it was worth it. It was like a sleepover, almost. Telling weird stories or entertaining those 3am thoughts we had. It was nice to just be able to relax.<br/>
“Eventually, we all grew up and I didn’t get to see them as much. Then Thorn took over and I ran away. I haven’t seen them for at least 4 years because of the whole...time difference thing.”</p><p>“Where are you going with this?” Mumbo asked.</p><p>Grian kept going as if he didn’t hear Mumbos question. “To remember their friendships, I painted my door with little things that symbolised each person on the night of the party.” He turned to look at the door, wings tucked against his blue sweater as if Grian was appreciating it for the first time.<br/>
Mumbo followed his lead, gazing at the painted door with a confused expression. It was beautiful, but what was the point of telling him?</p><p>The door was covered in mini murals, a little bamboo forest, headphones and a poppy, a colourful feather, and a cat, among many others. It was covered from top to bottom, barely any blank space left and Mumbo couldn’t tell what was a mural for a friend and what was purely for aesthetic.</p><p>One stood out though, a meticulously painted flower of life, tucked away in the corner and painted such a dark green that it was almost black.<br/>
Almost instinctively, Mumbo reached out to press his hand against it. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know what instinct told him to do it.<br/>
But he did.<br/>
The paint felt oddly warm, as if it was pulsing with life.</p><p>And Grian smiled softly.<br/>
“That ones yours.“</p><p>“Why’s it a flower of life and not a moustache? I did have it then, right?” Mumbo asked, twisting around to study Grians face.</p><p>“I don’t know. You insisted on painting it that night. I always meant to ask, but I could never figure out how to bring it up.<br/>
“But I wanted to let you know that you’re the same person from back then. Memories or not, who you are as a person didn’t change. You’re still you, and you’re still my friend no matter what.” Grian said as he gently nudged Mumbo in the side.</p><p>“Thanks, Red.” Mumbo nudged back with a smile before he glanced back at the door thoughtfully.<br/>
“Do you have a painting on here?”</p><p>“No, actually. Nothing I thought of felt right.”</p><p>He paused for a bit, content with sitting on the steps with his friend. “May I paint something for you?”</p><p>Grian seemed surprised by the request but he nodded all the same. “I can get you some paints right now, if you like.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>He didn’t know how long he was at it, studying the details of the painted vines and mimicking the shading so the new mural felt right at home. Mumbo had smears of paint on his hands, face, arms, shirt- everywhere- he looked disheveled but focused, eyes trained on a spot in the center of the door as he slowly worked layer by layer, to add Grian a mural to his own door.</p><p>And when the painting was finished, Mumbo stepped back and studied the glowing yellow sun that sat just above eye level, so bright that you could practically feel the warmth it was emitting.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you can figure out (without googling) why Mumbo's and Grian’s murals are what they are, you get...I dunno. A cookie.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Chapter 40</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dust this is amazing!” He heard Blue say, his voice hushed with awe.</p><p>“Aww, is it a sun cos I light up your life?” Grian teased. And was promptly socked in the shoulder. “oW!”</p><p>“That’s what you get, you nuisance.” Mumbo shot back, a smile on his face as he admired his work. He wasn’t much of an artist, never really finding the time to devote to drawing or painting, but Mumbo had to admit that the sun looked really good. The rays extended far down the door, bathing the other paintings in a gentle golden light, Grians own little piece of yellow that would never disappear.<br/>It was almost mindless in how easy it was. Once he stopped thinking too hard about the details, everything seemed to just...flow. It felt natural. </p><p>Grian quieted down a bit as he properly studied the door and all the details Mumbo had added to it. “Seriously, Dust- thank you.”</p><p>“It felt right, y’know? Adding you to your own door.” Mumbo shrugged as he started to clean up the paints, sealing each pigment away in their own little jars just how Grian had them before.</p><p>“I should go, actually. Lost track of time. Lemur wanted to discuss a few things and get some help setting up a lab for you two.” Blue said.</p><p>“You sure? We could help with the lab part.” Mumbo offered.</p><p>“No, no it’s okay. It’s a lot of paperwork and such. You two take the day off. Lemur’s orders. She knows how you get, Red.”</p><p>“Alright, alright. I get it. I need to actually take care of myself on. Dust gets the same way about me.”</p><p>“That’s because I found you wandering in the jungle, nearly starving, and it was raining.”</p><p>“That was one time!”</p><p>“Or how about that time last year when you were building your house in the competition and you fell from the top because you hadn’t slept in 3 days?”</p><p>Grian grumbled but ultimately shut up.</p><p>“Yeah...you’ve always been like this, haven’t you, Red? Working yourself to the bone. Really, you should learn to relax more.” Blue teased.</p><p>“Easier said than done.”</p><p>“You should rest, Red. When did you last sleep?”</p><p>Grian faltered. When <em>did</em> he last sleep? He surely got a few naps in the library but they were always quick power naps. Nothing like a proper rest.<br/>“I think-“</p><p>“If you can’t remember when you last slept, you need to sleep now.” Blue scolded, pushing Red inside, Mumbo following close behind.</p><p>Mumbo had the paints gathered up in his arms and he set them down on a shelf to sort through later. A yawn escaped his mouth and Blue shot him a warning look.</p><p>“Hey- I’m not as much of a mess as Red. I’m going to sleep too.” He grinned before heading up into the loft and made himself comfortable in the small yet cosy space.<br/>“Thanks for everything, Blue.”</p><p>“Yeah. Thanks for becoming my mom, Blue.” Grian yawned, too tired for the words to hold the bite he wanted them to.</p><p>Blue just laughed as he walked out the door. “Anytime, Red.”</p><p>“Alright, G. Get up here. You need to sleep. I need to sleep. We’re sleeping, the council has decided.” Mumbo flopped on one of the beds, tugging off his suit jacket (seriously, why was he still wearing this thing?) and tie, tossing both onto a nearby chair.<br/>Grian curled up on the other bed, a blanket pulled around him so he looked like a ball. </p><p>“I’d offer you clothes, but I don’t think they’d fit.”</p><p>“If it really comes to it, G, I’ll have to take you up on that offer. But for now-“ Mumbo yawned again. “I think we’re both exhausted. Night, G.”</p><p>“Night Mumby.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Chapter 40! Genuinely didn’t think this fic would get this far. Thank you so much for the comments and kudos.</p><p>You can have a leetol floof. As a treat. ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Chapter 41</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was alone.</p><p>Of course he was alone, and the house was dark, the yellow from earlier hiding in the corners and someone else was inside the house and he didn’t notice until it was too late. The person turned to face him, the figure shrouded in shadows like it was a cloak.</p><p>Time felt weird.</p><p>Where was he? Who was inside?<br/>He got out of bed to investigate, reality warping away from him as if it were a dream. He was tired, it was late- that had to explain why.</p><p>There was a crown of dead flowers.<br/>“You’ve disappointed me.”</p><p>He knew that voice.</p><p>“You haven’t gotten anything done.”<br/>There was the faerie automaton in their hands.<br/>They crushed it to pieces, the metal breaking apart and exploding outwards from the force.<br/>“Nothing except this toy.”</p><p>“We’re working on it!” He heard himself say.</p><p>“Work harder. Your life depends on it.” The person vanished, and suddenly he felt iron against his back, the feeling burning through his clothes.</p><p>Why did it burn? It didn’t burn last time.<br/><em>Why did it burn??</em></p><p>He screamed, falling to his knees as his back burned, curling into himself to try and pull away from the pain, it <em>burned</em> it didn’t burn this bad last time- <em>WHY DID IT BURN????</em></p><p>“Don’t disappoint us all, Mumbo.”</p><p>How did he know his name?</p><p>He was shaking, lying on the floor as the iron kept burning, he was shaking from the pain.</p><p>“We need you Mumbo.”</p><p>He never told anyone his name.</p><p>“Mumbo!”<br/>Mumbo, Mumbo, Mumbo, it didn’t mean anything, he couldn’t focus on words- the pain dominated everything, blocking out all reason.<br/>He was shaking on the floor.</p><p>“Mumbo!”</p><p>Someone was shaking him.</p><p>“Mumbo wake up!”</p><p>Someone slapped him.</p><p>Mumbo sat up in bed suddenly, gasping as his hand flew to his cheek. “G?”</p><p>He heard a sigh of relief.<br/>“Just a nightmare, Mumby. It was just a nightmare.” He heard Grian say softly, his voice shaking slightly.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Mumbo asked as he freed himself from the tangle of blanket he found himself in.</p><p>His words were met with a laugh.<br/>“You just had a nightmare and you’re asking if <em>I’m</em> okay? God, you really are a spoon.”</p><p>“You didn’t answer my question.” He noted.</p><p>Grian took a while to respond. When he did, it wasn’t with words he expected to hear.<br/>“You filled the house with belladonna and vines of wisteria. Some of the vines started choking me.” He said softly.</p><p>“Oh...Gri- I’m- I’m sorry.” Mumbo gasped, standing up to comfort his friend.</p><p>“It’s okay. Really. It happens- you were asleep. I don’t blame you.” The faerie quickly explained. “I accidentally filled this place with lilies when I had a nightmare. Stank up the place for weeks.”<br/>Grian caught Mumbos worried expression and sighed.<br/>“Seriously. It’s okay. It happens to all of us when we start learning about magic and how to control it. Stop blaming yourself cos I know you are right now.”</p><p>Mumbo held up his hands in a mock surrender. “You caught me.” He smiled, “I get it. But it’s also scary to wake up and hear that you started choking your friend in your sleep.”</p><p>“I’ll say. It’s scary to wake up and find it hard to breathe.<br/>“Do you wanna talk about it?” Grian offered, shuffling his way over to Mumbos bed and plonking himself down.</p><p>“I forgot most of it- I just remember someone- Thorn, I think standing here and then a burning feeling on my back from iron.” Mumbo explained as he leaned into Grian. </p><p>“You’re safe, Mumby. You’re safe, and it’s gonna be okay, and we know that the iron can’t hurt you. It’s okay.”<br/>Grians words fell on deaf ears.<br/>Mumbo was already fast asleep again, curled up against Grian and a small smile on his face.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Inspiration hit me like a truck, so you get a double update. Happy birthday.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Chapter 42</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Buckle up. I think I’ll cause problems on purpose.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grian stayed by Mumbos side the entire night, falling asleep soon after the redstoner did.</p><p>He ignored the faint markings on Mumbos back visible even through his shirt, twisting around each other like lace.<br/>He knew what it meant. Midnight was not the time to drop another bombshell on Mumbo.<br/>That could wait, right?</p><p>The rest of the night passed by rather quickly, the flowers Mumbo summoned were retreating back into the walls, the vines twisting themselves into the roots that made up the house and come morning light, it all looked normal again.<br/>The only remnant of the event were the red marks around Grians neck.<br/>He pulled the collar of his sweater higher so Mumbo wouldn’t have to see it.</p><p>It was nice, having Blue over again, Grian decided. It felt like the old times, wasting hours upon hours talking about meaningless nonsense and reminiscing about pranks they pulled off. Maybe he should find the tree Blue mentioned earlier.<br/>The one that grew because an overcharged crystal exploded.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>If...if overcharged crystals were highly reactive on their own...what would happen if more than one were to explode?</p><p>Grian rushed out of bed and scrambled down the ladder in a hurry, cramming seemingly random materials into his bag before scribbling a quick note to Mumbo and sprinted out the door.<br/>If he was right- if what he thought would happen actually <em>did</em> happen, then he had the answer to the magic problem.</p><p>He could fix everything.</p><p>He could save everything.</p><p>“Red where are you going?” A voice called out and Grian turned around to see who it was.</p><p>“Blue! Brilliant- where’s Lemur? Or is the lab set up?” The words tumbled out in one big rush, his excitement evident.</p><p>“The labs set up. Third door on the left, you know where the branch is.” Blue smiled. It wasn’t the first time he had seen Grian like this, flustered and excited about an idea he had, rushing to test it, get everything down on paper before it slipped his mind.</p><p>“Can you tell Dust where the lab is? I left a note in the house since he’s not up yet. Give him directions, he’ll be fine!” Grian shouted over his shoulder as he bounded away towards the research branch, leaving a very confused Blue in his tracks.</p><p>The lab was exactly how he remembered it.<br/>It was slightly more industrial-looking than the rest of the court because it was harder to lose test subjects in a white and grey environment than one made of branches and leaves. The insects and small animals liked to hide a lot.</p><p>But everything that Grian needed was inside and it felt like he was coming home properly. He was in his element.<br/>He set a few crystals from his bag down on a counter, placing one in the middle of a small circle of runes, lining the edges with some flowers.<br/>And sure enough, the flowers died and the crystal glowed faintly with power. <br/>Just as expected.<br/>And like any good scientist would do, Grian wrote down the results on a piece of paper, the top half full of chicken scratched ideas on how it would all work. </p><p>He had one crystal partially powered.<br/>But he’d need a hell of a lot more magic and energy to overcharge them.</p><p>So he made a slightly larger circle of runes and stood on the edge with the tiny crystal in the center again, and he watched as it glowed fiercer and started sparking dangerously.</p><p>Perfect.</p><p>And okay, maybe he was a little woozy, black spots dotting the corners of his vision, but he had one overcharged crystal. He’d need another. He could do this.</p><p>He needed to do this.</p><p>Grian placed another crystal in the center of the circle and once again stood on the edge, watching it as it slowly started to glow with magic.</p><p>He felt dizzy.<br/>He should stop.</p><p>Pins and needles pricked his fingertips and he felt lightheaded, wobbling even though he was standing still.</p><p>He really needed to step off the runes.</p><p>but...</p><p>He really needed to succeed.</p><p>His stomach twisted in knots as he felt sick, head pounding- were the lights always this bright? It felt too bright suddenly, and he couldn’t feel his feet and he felt unsteady- maybe he went a little too far, but it was too late.</p><p>Too late, too late, too late.</p><p>Grian felt himself lilt to one side until the world went sideways. He didn’t have the energy to even catch himself, hitting the floor like a sack of bricks. He stared at the crystal as it slowly, oh so slowly started to glow brighter, black filling his vision before he could see it start to spark.</p><p>The world went quiet as Grian passed out, the runes still feeding the crystal with his own energy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You’re free to steal my bones because of this chapter. All I ask is that I can have them back eventually so I can write the next one.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Chapter 43</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo woke up to someone inside the house.</p><p>“Oh! You’re up! Sorry- red wanted me to give you directions to the lab and I didn’t know when you’d wake up so I was writing notes for you and-“</p><p>“It’s okay.” Mumbo smiled. “I take it he’s in the lab then?”<br/>
Blue nodded.</p><p>“Well, since I’m up and you’re here, why don’t you lead me there?”</p><p>“You’re... not gonna put on your suit jacket?”</p><p>“Hmm? Oh! Oh gosh no. It’s way too stuffy for that. Besides, one of the buttons broke off. I’ll be fine like this.” Mumbo smiled as he followed Blue to the labs. </p><p>The tall hallways were really nice, allowing for the faeries to fly overhead without touching the ground. Archways branched off at random heights into different corridors and passageways, the entire structure made up of branches and vines twisted into place. Sunlight shone through gaps in the wall and Mumbo could see just how large the realm was.<br/>
They were inside a tree that had a view over everything, small houses dotting the hillsides and embedded into cliff faces. The sunrise bathed everything in a golden light and Mumbo stopped for a moment to just watch the world wake up.</p><p>“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” Blue said softly from beside him. “A lot of the country fae keep to themselves while the court fae live here. It’s really isolated once you get used to it. But one night, every summer solstice, everyone gathers in a large open field and we all have a grand party. The fae that live down there bring things they made and we give them a good time and whatever charms we’ve been working on.”</p><p>“That sounds like a lot of fun.”</p><p>“It was.” His voice sounded sad and Mumbo turned to look at Blue. “We don’t hold that night anymore. Takes up too much magic.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Blue shook his head, leading Mumbo down the corridor with a renowned vigour. “Come- he should be in this one here. Feel free to head in, Dust.” </p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>Mumbo pushed the door open, walking in and expecting Grian to be sat there, hard at work.<br/>
Instead, he saw dead flowers on a table, a sparking crystal next to them, and no Grian.<br/>
“G, come on, now isn’t the time for a prank. Come out.” He teased, a light laugh in his voice.</p><p>Which didn’t get a response.<br/>
“G?” Mumbo tried again.</p><p>He walked around the counter and looked down.<br/>
Grian was lying on the floor, eyes shut and glasses cracked. At his feet was a circle of runes and in the center was another sparking crystal.<br/>
This one glowed bright, so much brighter than the one lying on the counter, the sparks flying so much further.</p><p>“Oh my god, G! Hold on-“ Mumbo rushed next to Grian, putting two and two together and got him off the runes, setting him down further away.<br/>
“G, come on, wake up.” He panicked, his heart going a million miles a minute.</p><p>Either Grian wasn’t breathing, or his breaths were so shallow that Mumbo couldn’t see them.<br/>
He prayed that it was the latter.<br/>
“G- what do I do. What did you do? What should I-<br/>
“BLUE!” Mumbo shouted as the thought crossed his mind.<br/>
“BLUE COME QUICK.”</p><p>So what if the screams left his throat raw and aching.<br/>
So what if he was crying.<br/>
So what if he was shaking a bit, holding Grians limp form on his lap.</p><p>He had no idea what to do or who to turn to, and Grian wasn’t breathing, he couldn’t feel a pulse, he didn’t want to think Grian had-<br/>
“<em>BLUE PLEASE</em>”Mumbo cried out again, not caring who heard him.</p><p>
  The door slammed open as Blue came running into the room, taking in the sight before him- Mumbo kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face, Grian limp and lifeless on his lap.
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I genuinely didn’t think I could make this worse, and yet somehow I’ve managed.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Chapter 44</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They took him to the healers.</p><p>Or, more specifically, Blue took him to the healers while Mumbo stayed behind in the lab.</p><p>He didn’t want to be there if they had to break the bad news.<br/>He didn’t want to be there to never see Grian wake up again.</p><p>He’d rather live in a delusion- only for a bit- and imagine that Grian was alive. He’s rather imagine that the prankster was just out of sight, plotting something mischievous and giggling to himself.</p><p>Turning his attention to the table, Mumbo sat on the stool, taking in the notes before him through a numb and grey haze. He was reading it, but the words didn’t stick, slipping away as soon as his eyes moved onto the next word.</p><p>Distantly, he knew that Grian was onto something with the crystals and Mumbo picked up the one on the counter, studying it for something. He wasn’t sure what.<br/>It glowed faintly, pulsing with energy like it had a heartbeat. Faint runes swirled around inside.<br/>Mumbo didn’t have the energy to translate them.</p><p>He set the crystal down gently and turned to the one on the floor, still sparking wildly, glowing so <em>so</em> bright.</p><p>The one that stole Grian from him.<br/>He hated that little crystal, glittering on the floor like nothing was wrong. Did it know what it took?<br/>The price Grian had paid for it to exist?<br/>He wanted the crystal destroyed.<br/>But he didn’t dare break it- what would happen if it exploded? Blue mentioned that a full grown tree sprouted up from an overcharged crystal.<br/>Mumbo could only imagine how much damage this one would do.</p><p>Not to mention that Grian made it for a reason. Pointlessly destroying his work would be a fruitless endeavour. He rest his head on the table, brushing the flowers out of the way.<br/>Mumbo sighed and let the crystal be, sitting in its circle of runes because he couldn’t figure out how to safely remove it.</p><p>It didn’t matter anyway.<br/>A faint crackling sound echoed through the room, and Mumbo glanced back at the crystal.</p><p>A flower had fallen onto the runes.<br/>A live flower that he was watching die before his eyes.<br/>Which meant the crystal got more energy.</p><p>Which tipped it over the edge.</p><p>In a blind panic, Mumbo grabbed the notes and the other crystals in a rush and booked it out of the room. He didn’t know what the paper said. He honestly didn’t care in the moment. All of his energy was focused on getting out of the lab with whatever work Grian left behind.</p><p>It was too little, too late.</p><p>Another crackling sound was his only warning before the crystal exploded, sending the contents of the room- including Mumbo- flying into the walls. He clutched the paper to his chest, the crystals crammed into a pocket as he went airborne, the walls rushing at him before he hit it headfirst and slumped down on the floor.</p><p>The world was spinning and he had a headache. He probably had a concussion.<br/>He was so tired, a little nap wouldn’t hurt. Right?</p><p>When he woke, Lemur was kneeling in front of him. She looked like a concerned mother, her head tilted as she spoke words he didn’t register.</p><p>His head hurt. His back hurt.<br/>The lab was a mess.<br/>How long was he out for?</p><p>Mumbo tried to sit up, wincing in pain, and was pushed back down. <br/>“-need to relax.”</p><p>Mumbo stared at her blankly. The words didn’t sound right.</p><p>“You need to relax, Dust. I just wanna know what happened.” She repeated softly.</p><p>His head felt like it was full of cotton, heavy and light at the same time, stuffed so full that nothing else could occupy it.<br/>“I... came to visit Red in-in the lab. Here. And I found him on the floor. S-so I called for Blue and he took him to the healer and I stayed behind.<br/>“There was an explosion- from a crystal- and I passed out.” Mumbo stammered out, trying to work out how his mouth worked through the muddle in his mind.</p><p>Lemur nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer. “You feel okay? Should we take you to the healers as well?”</p><p>“What would...would fae healers do for me? I’m not like you guys. Red said so.”</p><p>“Magic always looks for a host. The explosion released so much that the other crystals couldn’t handle it all...so it turned to you.” Lemur started as she offered Mumbo a hand to stand up.<br/>Which he accepted and promptly tripped over nothing, unsteady on his own feet.</p><p>He felt something...extra on his back and he twisted around to see it.<br/>A set of wings- similar to Grians- sat there, iridescent and elegant.</p><p>Maybe he should have been shocked. Or surprised.<br/>But at the moment, he didn’t have the energy to properly react, blinking owlishly at them before facing Lemur again.</p><p>“To your healers it is, then.” He simply shrugged, leaning heavily on her shoulder. If she was shocked at his apparent lack of a reaction, she hid it well, supporting Mumbo on the walk to the healers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was gonna end it earlier but I decided- nah, I’ve ended the last few chapters on cruel cliffhangers so now you get winged Mumbo.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Chapter 45</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The infirmary was eerily empty, only one other bed occupied. He knew who lay there.<br/>He didn’t want to face reality.<br/>Instead Mumbo ambled in and curled up on the bed furthest away from Grian, his back to his friend so he didn’t have to look. <br/>Ignorance was bliss here.</p><p>He heard a gasp from behind him, footsteps approaching from Grians bed before they stopped.</p><p>“Dust- you...the wings....what happened after I left?” Blues voice sounded above him.<br/>He shook his head ‘no’ the words refusing to come and he couldn’t muster up the energy to make them, so physically and emotionally drained from earlier.</p><p>Lemur thankfully answered on his behalf. “He said a crystal exploded.”<br/>A hand tapped her wrist, and a paper was slid into her hand, crumpled and rough around the edges, but still intact.<br/>Grians notes.</p><p>She read it over once. Then twice.<br/>A smile grew on her face.<br/>“Red found an answer.” </p><p>“He what?!!”</p><p>“He found the solution we’ve been searching for.” She laughed happily.</p><p>“How do you know it’ll work?” Blue asked hesitantly, casting a glance back at Grians bed.</p><p>“It’s Red we’re on about. Of course it’ll work. If anything, Dust here only proved it. Energy seeks a place to reside in. His idea will work.” Lemur reassured, her voice so steady and confident. Like she was pinning all her hopes onto this one piece of paper and praying for the best.</p><p>Mumbo fished about in his pockets a bit more, wordlessly handing over the previously-dead crystals to the researcher.<br/>Though now, they crackled with energy, charged by the explosion and glowing merrily.<br/>Nothing like the dangerous sparks that came from the crystal in the runes. These were much tamer- much safer- than that.</p><p>They kept talking above his head, the words dissolving into meaningless sounds and he ran his hand back and forth over the sheets beneath him.<br/>The sheets bunched up as he pushed his hand out before rushing back at him as he pulled his hand close.<br/>Out. In. Out. In.<br/>The fabric was stiff and slowly wore down as Mumbo repeated the action.</p><p>Was this world even worth saving?<br/>Did it deserve to survive when it cost Grian his life?<br/>Though if Grian found the answer, he supposed that it meant that Thorn would let them walk away.<br/>But would the world be any better? Did they do the right thing? Did this world still need a seelie fae on the throne beside Thorn?<br/>Mumbo didn’t know.<br/>He felt lost, unsure who to upend his questions onto now that Grian was gone.</p><p>What would the hermits think if the first thing they saw when Mumbo came back was the wings on his back and the body of a friend in his arms?<br/>What would Scar think?</p><p>When did the lights go out?<br/>When did it get dark?<br/>The sheets felt soft now- how long was he running his hand over them?<br/>When had Lemur and Blue left?</p><p>Mumbo climbed out of the bed and slowly walked over to Grians, sitting in the chair that Blue had been in for ages. He slid his hand into his friends, squeezing it tight with the delusion that Grian would squeeze back.</p><p>No.<br/>His hand remained cold and still, eyes shut to the world as he lay in the bed.<br/>Lifeless.</p><p>Dead.</p><p>He sat there a long while, contemplating what to do.</p><p>“I’m sorry, G.” He murmured softly, lips barely parting to let the words escape into the cool night air. He rest his head on the edge of the bed, eyes trained on his hand still holding Grians.<br/>“I’m sorry I wasn’t there in time.<br/>“I hope you know how much your friendship means to me. So I should be thanking you, really. Thank you for the amazing memories. This world- however corrupt it is- is beautiful. I’m...I’m glad I got to see it with you, G. I’m glad you like your mural on your door, and I’m glad I got to really know you before you...before all this.” Mumbo continued, tears clouding his vision.<br/>“Thanks for being the best, G. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I decided, finally.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Chapter 46</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scar stood at the edge of the portal, some of his crystals lining the edge and his staff in hand. False, Stress, Iskall and Doc stood nearby with the other hermits hanging around in the general vicinity to see them off.</p><p>The wizard took a deep breath before he raised the staff and slammed it to the ground, breaking the crystal that was the foci and watched as the energy filled the ones lining the edge.<br/>It hurt to see one of his precious crystals destroyed like this, but at this point Scar would have done anything to find Grian and Mumbo again.</p><p>The rift spiralled open, the ground melting into a scene from a different world. He’d appreciate the nature more if he could ignore the fact that the world on the other side stole his friends.</p><p>“Good luck.” Xisuma nodded to the group. “Be safe.”</p><p>“See ya soon!” Stress smiled, her bag full of various potions and supplies.<br/>False merely gave a nod, her hand resting on her sword pommel.<br/>“We’ll be back before ya know it, X.” Doc grinned, which drew a laugh from Iskall.<br/>“Yeah- we’ll be fine, X. We got this.”<br/>“Well. Here goes nothing, I guess.” Scar bit his lip as he reached out to grab his friends hands.</p><p>Once the five of them were linked up, they wordlessly stepped through the portal, leaving the other hermits behind.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The moon shone high overhead, lighting up the infirmary with washed-out light. Mumbo lifted his head to find Grians bed empty, and he shot up to find the prankster.</p><p>“Hey Mumbo.”</p><p>He knew that voice.<br/>It was impossible for him to be hearing his voice.</p><p>“There’s one last thing I needed to give you, you know.” <br/>The sound of footsteps drew closer until he could practically feel the presence of someone standing just behind him, just out of sight.<br/>He didn’t dare look. Looking would shatter the moment, turn it into fragments of glass in the air glittering beautifully.</p><p>“What is it, G?” He heard himself say, his voice breaking slightly.</p><p>“Your name.” He could <em>hear</em> the mischievous grin on his voice, imagine the small smirk he had on his face. The way the corners of his eyes bunched up as he smiled, the way he hopped from one foot to the other and back again.<br/>He could picture him being so full of life.</p><p>“Isn’t my name Mumbo?”</p><p>“It is. But your true name is Viva.”</p><p>The name sounded familiar and yet foreign.<br/>“Vi...va?” He asked, eyes trained on the moonlight that was slipping away. He turned slowly, repeating the name again, hoping to find Grian standing there.</p><p>There was no one.<br/>The moon fell below the horizon.</p><p>He was alone again, waking up with his face pressed into the sheets of Grians bed, hand holding his friends and the sun high in the sky, the name dying on his lips.</p><p><em>Viva.</em> he thought. What an odd name.</p><p>And suddenly so many things came flooding back- thousands of memories that had been locked away, unleashed in a tidal wave only unlocked with two syllables that made up the key.</p><p>The time he, Grian, and Blue played hide-and-seek in the library as it was being built.<br/>Or discovering how to overcharge a crystal.<br/>The vibrant home he used to live in, bright flowers coating the walls to make up for the chipped paint.<br/>A spice rack hung at just the right height.</p><p>A thousand tiny details and memories all came back at once- Blue was right, he was exactly the same way now as he was then.<br/>A bit shy and cautious, but fiercely loyal and a bit of a troublemaker at times.</p><p>He smiled at them all.<br/>The last gift Grian could give.</p><p>He knew he’d cherish them forever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Now do you know why Mumbos mural is a flower of life?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0047"><h2>47. Chapter 47</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room they landed in was huge and spacious...and filled with faeries.</p><p>Faeries that were confused as to why the rift opened but no one stepped through.<br/>
It was amazing how much the colour red could do, how effective a few iron nuggets in the pockets were.<br/>
Scar had his red leather armour, Doc had a red lab coat, False was wearing a red bandanna around her arm, a flower crown of red poppies and roses sat on Stress’s head, and Iskall had tied Grians red sweater around his waist.</p><p>It was such a small thing, and yet it rendered them invisible to the faeries.</p><p>Scar drew his finger to his lips, signalling to the others to stay quiet as he led them down a hallway at random, tip-toeing through the corridor so as to not be heard.</p><p>Finding Mumbo and Grian was like searching for a needle in a haystack- it was nearly impossible due to the sheer amount of faeries in the area and the need for stealth.<br/>
Getting caught meant a delay and a very real possibility of death. Scar couldn’t afford to lose anyone else after Grian and Mumbo. They <em>had</em> to succeed.</p><p>There was no other choice.</p><p>False tugged Scar into a room.<br/>
“What was that for?” He whispered, the sudden movement shaking him out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Focus, okay?” She scolded, gesturing to the hallway as the sound of wings flapping grew steadily louder.</p><p>“-hear? Lemur and Blue found the answer!”</p><p>“Yeah but only after Red joined. I’m willing to guess that he solved it and they took credit. He’s probably pissed about that.”</p><p>The first voice laughed. “Yeah right. He has his name on so many other charms and spells. I think he’d be okay with letting someone else lay claim to this.”</p><p>The voices faded away, heading towards the central room where Scar and his friends had come from.</p><p>“Do you think that’s him?” Stress asked softly as she fiddled with the hem of her sweater sleeve. “I mean- he does wear a red sweater.”</p><p>“I’m not sure. We don’t know if he ever went by that.” Doc replied.</p><p>Iskall’s voice sounded from across the room. “Guys...” </p><p>“Yeah?” </p><p>“What do you think happened here?” He asked, pointing to the walls and floor, objects thrown across the room with reckless abandon, centred around a seemingly arbitrary spot on the floor.</p><p>The room itself wasn’t made of the same materials as the rest of the rooms, metal and far more industrial-looking materials reinforcing the walls.</p><p>Walls that still bowed outwards and a broken bag on the floor.</p><p>A very familiar bag, mind you.<br/>
Patches of fabric stuck on from the amount of times Grian crammed it full of supplies, neat stitches barely holding the bag together.</p><p>“That’s his! That’s G’s!” Stress smiled. “I’d recognise those patches anywhere.”</p><p>“But where is he now? I mean, this is clearly a lab and that’s clearly his bag. If those faeries were right, we can assume that this was left like this because he found the solution and ran out...making him Red.” False reasoned.</p><p>A new voice rang out from the doorway, drawn in by the sound of people talking. “You’re looking for Red?”</p><p>Naturally, they all froze.<br/>
Slowly, ever so slowly, Iskall nodded his head ‘yes’, desperate for news about Grian and yet terrified of this newcomer.</p><p>“I have some bad news about him. Follow me.” She said. She didn’t seem worried about the group, too lost in her own emotions as she led them through the maze of hallways and offshoots.</p><p>“He’s in there with a friend- Dust- who came back with him.” She nodded as she pointed them inside, walking away as her lab coat chased her heels.</p><p>A curtain of vines sectioned off a part of the room and Scar assumed that was where they were headed. After all, every other bed was empty and the room was very obviously an infirmary, large windows casting yellow light across the floors. </p><p>They found Grian so much easier than expected- they were halfway done and just had to get out.<br/>
They could go home within mere hours of arriving, no fighting necessary.<br/>
They could be happy again, acting like a family.</p><p>Scar already had the words he wanted to say on his lips. He’d apologise to Grian for what he did and how he acted, the words would tumble out of his mouth like a waterfall in a beautifully chaotic disaster.</p><p>A faerie stepped out from the vines, rubbing his eyes and he was clearly exhausted, dress shirt rumpled, hair sticking up in odd directions, and wings flat against his back- held so stiff that it was like he never used them before.</p><p>Scars words died in his mouth.</p><p>A very familiar faerie- which shouldn’t have been possible- one with a moustache and bits of redstone still stuck on the shirt, staining it permanently.</p><p>Iskall was the first to break the silence, his voice soft and hesitant as if he didn’t want to face reality.<br/>
“Mumbo?”</p><p>And the faerie looked up at the name.<br/>
“Hi again.” Mumbo replied, his voice hoarse and broken.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oop there it is.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0048"><h2>48. Chapter 48</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mumbo- how did...what happened to you, man?” Doc asked quietly, his voice softened with surprise.</p><p>“It’s...it’s a long story.” He replied, hugging his arms close to his chest.</p><p>“You can tell it to us later then- we gotta get you and G-Man outta here.” Scar said, “Where’s G?”</p><p>And he could just <em>see</em> the moment Mumbo broke. The redstoners eyes teared up as he bit his lip to keep it from trembling, his breaths becoming shaky and he slowly slid his hand over his mouth. As if it could muffle his cries.</p><p>“Mumbo? What’s wrong?” Iskall asked.</p><p>He just shook his head no as he stood there shaking with sobs, tears rolling down his face as he refused to make eye contact with any of them, shying away when the wizard took a step forward.<br/>“He’s... he’s not.” He stammered, the words barely audible in the quiet room.<br/>“He’s not- he’s not alive.” </p><p>“...what.”<br/>Everyone froze, the reality of the words sinking in as Scar pushed aside the curtain of vines, silently preparing himself for what he was going to see.</p><p>Grian lay on the bed, one hand on his chest while the other lay on the bed with the palm up as if he were waiting for someone to hold it.<br/>He looked peaceful.<br/>Flowers surrounded his body, a mix of yellow and red in a perfect wreath around his head. </p><p>Scar slowly walked towards Grian, sitting down suddenly on the floor with his forehead resting on the side of the bed.</p><p>“No...no, no, no, no, no...this can’t be- how did this happen?” Scar asked as he stared up at Grian as if his body could tell him the answer.</p><p>Mumbo gave the answer instead, stammering out words through his tears. “Lemur- she said... he was trying to- to charge a crystal...to save this world, and-and he gave too much.” </p><p>“Mumbo, what do you mean by ‘charge’ a crystal?” False asked, taking a hesitant step closer.</p><p>“He used his own energy to-to charge one. I found him on...on the floor of the lab. He was dead when I-I got there.” Silence followed his words, everyone rendered speechless at the idea of Grian being dead.<br/>It was hard to imagine the lively prankster like this. He would be almost overflowing with energy, restless and fidgeting at every moment. And yet...here he was, lying on a bed surrounded in beautiful flowers. He looked asleep, eyes closed to the world- it was as if he was going to wake up at any time and smile at them all.</p><p>“I know we’re all really sad about this, but we should get back to the other hermits.” Stress said finally, wiping tears from her face. “We found them, Scar. We should go.”</p><p>“You won’t be able to. G said there wasn’t enough magic here to reopen the rift. We’re-“ Mumbo jerked up at the sound of wingbeats, quickly pushing his friends behind the vines and shushing them.</p><p>“Mu-“</p><p>“Shut up, Wizard!” Doc hissed, bonking Scar upside the head.<br/>False reached out and pulled the bone curtain shut, concealing them from the newcomers</p><p>“I must say, Dust. The two of you have found an answer rather quickly.” Thorn hummed, looking over the paper Mumbo had rescued days earlier.<br/>“Though you now being fully fae has been an interesting development.”</p><p>“But we found the solution all the same. Will you let us go?”</p><p>The king sighed. “That was the deal wasn’t it? As much as I’d love to keep you two, a deal is a deal. You and Red are free to go. Lemur will be heading the project from now to ensure it’s developed quickly.”</p><p>Mumbo simply nodded, pushing back the vines to pick up Grians body as he subtly gestured to wherever his friends were to follow him.<br/>Not being able to see red would get annoying <em>very</em> quickly.</p><p>“You didn’t tell me Red was dead...” Thorn sounded surprised, eyebrows raised in surprise as Mumbo turned around with Grian cradled in his arms.</p><p>“I didn’t know how to.”</p><p>Thorn seemed to mull things over before he wordlessly handed Mumbo a glowing crystal before gesturing for him to follow.</p><p>So follow he did, walking through the hallways to the main hall, hoping his friends were following.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0049"><h2>49. Chapter 49</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the end, Scar decided that it wasn’t a rescue mission.<br/>It wasn’t even a mission.</p><p>They just showed up, found Mumbo, and left.</p><p>Whatever problem Mumbo and Grian had to solve was already done.<br/>They saved themselves.</p><p>Scar decided that hurt the most.<br/>That he wasn’t even needed in getting the duo out. He was just a deadweight. Mumbo probably hated him for starting this entire mess.</p><p>He and his friends silently followed Mumbo back to the rift, listening in to the conversation happening a few feet ahead of them.</p><p>“I know we didn’t have the best first impression-“</p><p>“You trapped Red and I in iron cells until we agreed to help you.” Mumbo interjected. “There wasn’t much of a choice, you know.<br/>“He...Red died because of you. Your choices and careless decisions led to this. Gambling with peoples lives- preaching that whole ‘one sacrifice to save the masses’ drivel. It makes me sick.<br/>He died because you forced his hand into finding a solution to a problem he wasn’t even a part of. His blood is on your hands- remember that for as long as you live.” He spat. </p><p>If looks could kill, Thorn would be dead a thousand times over. It was a cold kind of anger. The kind that’s created over months, tempering your voice into the sharpest of blades while still being icy cold. The kind with a sharp stare, eyes flashing with hatred rather than anger.</p><p>Scar made the wise decision to never make Mumbo angry again.<br/>The others made the wise decision to never make Mumbo angry.<br/>Thorn made the wise decision to shut up.</p><p>“Red was curious about something though.” Mumbo said after a while of walking in silence, his voice deceptively soft again, “Will there be a ruler of the seelie court now that you have your magic?”</p><p>“I should think so. It would be nice to have the courts in balance again.”</p><p>Mumbo rolled his eyes. “As if it wasn’t your fault they got like this in the first place.”</p><p>With no elegant way to respond to that, Thorn remained silent, leading the way to the rift and opened it.</p><p>Instead of seeing Xisuma and the other hermits, there was simply...nothing. It looked like a sheer drop off into the void, cold air filtering into the room. Instinctively, he knew that he was looking at the gap between realities and that falling in was a one-way trip.<br/>Mumbo took a step back from the edge in surprise.<br/>“How do I get back to <em>my</em> world.”</p><p>“Use magic to guide it.” Thorn said before walking away. Payback, Mumbo supposed, for the jabs he took earlier.</p><p>“Here- use this.” Came Scars voice somewhere to his right, and a small green crystal clattered to the floor. “Shatter it.”<br/>Scar was flickering back into sight as he spoke softly before he vanished again as he went silent, some of the fae blinking owlishly at the space where the wizard stood as if they had seen a ghost.</p><p>Mumbo crushed the crystal under his foot and the rift wavered before it revealed a very exhausted Xisuma and Cub standing watch. Cub perked up a bit upon seeing Scar, False, Iskall, Stress and Doc (Mumbo was just out of sight) and ran to get the others. Xisuma blinked blearily as he sat up stretching as if he had only just managed to fall asleep.</p><p>The redstoner paused for a moment, letting Scar and the others go through before he went through himself, closing his eyes and steeling himself for the moments to come and the questions everyone would have.</p><p>They were expecting for Mumbo <em>and</em> Grian to walk back through the portal.<br/>Not Mumbo to walk through carrying Grian’s body.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We’re in the endgame now, folks. I think 2, maybe 3 more chapters?</p><p> </p><p>Don’t quote me on that, I’m horrible at estimating.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. Chapter 50</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scar and his team were welcomed back with smiles and hugs, the other hermits wrongly assuming that the small group was successful.<br/>
Assuming they had actually done something rather than walk in and walk out.</p><p>False looked uncomfortable at the praise, casting a glance back to Mumbo who had quietly stepped through the rift.<br/>
Curious as to what she was looking at, more heads turned the same way.</p><p>And the mood <em>dropped</em>, conversation halting as if someone pressed pause, people frozen with shock as they stared.</p><p>Because here was Mumbo, his hair slightly longer than before, wings on his back and pointed ears.<br/>
Here was Mumbo, clearly different from before, a tired, sorrowful expression on his face as he stared down at the body in his arms.<br/>
Here was Mumbo, standing quietly as tears rolled down his cheeks as he held Grian in his arms, forced to carry his friends body rather than smile as Grian walked alongside him.</p><p>And the other hermits realised that Scar’s team wasn’t so successful after all.</p><p>“Xisuma, I...” Scar stammered, words faltering as Xisuma walked past the wizard and instead headed straight to Mumbo.</p><p>The founder gave Mumbo a strange look, the question everyone wanted to know clear in his eyes, asking it without saying a word.<br/>
“It’s a long story.” Mumbo replied. Xisuma simply nodded.</p><p>He understood.<br/>
Mumbo would talk when he was ready. But right now, with 20 or so people staring at him wondering what in the world happened? Now was not the time.</p><p>“We’ll make a grave in the morning.” Xisuma said, leading Mumbo up the newly-built stairs into the network of houses and bridges suspended from the canopy.<br/>
“We left Grian’s and yours alone, if you want to stay there.”</p><p>Mumbo nodded dully, following the path to Grians house and carefully pushing open the door.<br/>
It felt wrong for this door to not be painted.<br/>
It felt wrong to be in a place Grian once occupied.<br/>
Mumbo gently set Grian down on the bed, making sure that he was comfortable.<br/>
Like it mattered.<br/>
But it felt wrong to just haphazardly leave his body anywhere else.</p><p>He set the crystal Thorn had given him on the nightstand, curling up on the other bed in the loft and trying to fall asleep.</p><p>But it never came.</p><p>Moonlight shone through the windows, a faded, washed out light illuminating the room.<br/>
Just like from before, except he knew this wasn’t a dream. Grian wouldn’t magically show up.</p><p>Mumbo made his way out onto the rope bridges, sitting down with his legs over the edge.</p><p>“Things are gonna be different now, aren’t they.” Came a voice from above him.<br/>
Doc’s voice, to be more precise, though it was gentle and kind, the usual harsh edge in it gone as he spoke.<br/>
“He made this place a lot more lively. Pulling pranks, pretending to be a hippie and all that.” Doc sighed as he sat down next to Mumbo.<br/>
“And now with you- being fae now is probably a bit of a shock too.<br/>
“I guess what I’m trying to ask is- are you gonna be okay?”</p><p>Mumbo thought hard about how to answer. Nothing felt right in his mouth, each sentence didn’t convey how he felt. “I...I don’t know.” He admitted finally.<br/>
“I miss him so much that it hurts. I don’t want to accept that he’s gone, and yet I had to carry his body back here. It feels like that should cement in my head that he’s not coming back and yet, I keep hoping that it’s just a bad dream. That I’ll wake up in my base and he’ll be running off from pulling some weird prank on me.”</p><p>Doc simply hummed as he sat with Mumbo, idly swinging his legs over the edge.<br/>
“It’s probably not my place to ask this but...what happened over there?”</p><p>The redstoner was quiet for so long that Doc worried that he had overstepped and said something wrong.<br/>
“It started with Scar asking me to make a trap.” Mumbo started, his voice barely audible.<br/>
“He said it was to get Grian back for pranking Larry. I agreed since he also got my base.<br/>
“I guess Scar was curious about Grian, was all. I don’t blame him. None of us could have known that it would end like this.”</p><p>As the night slowly gave way to the morning, Mumbo spilled everything to Doc. Every detail he could remember, every event that took place during the months he’d been missing.<br/>
Everything.</p><p>Something about talking during the nighttime made it easier.<br/>
There was no way Mumbo could have known about the person sitting in the branches beneath him.</p><p>But Scar listened to everything unfold above him, every word Mumbo spoke and every detail that spilled from his lips.<br/>
The one thing that stood out to him though, was that Mumbo wasn’t mad at him.</p><p>Mumbo didn’t blame Scar.</p><p>Despite having every reason to be upset, to hate the wizards guts, Mumbo wasn’t mad.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0051"><h2>51. Chapter 51</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had a funeral.</p><p>Of course, they weren’t going to bury Grian several thousands of miles away from everything else.<br/>
This one was ceremonial, flowers laid out on top of the faerie circle, a sign acting as a headstone.</p><p>Mumbo stood up from where he was on the ground, a little birch sapling planted in the soil at his feet.<br/>
Grian’s tree.<br/>
He knew he’d come back here often and watch the little tree grow.</p><p>Stress hugged him close and by this point, he didn’t know if it was for his sake or hers, her body shaking with sobs while he stood there numbly, finally out of tears but hurting all the same.</p><p>He felt like he was walking though life in a daze, reality was cloudy glass, details foggy as they blurred together into a giant colourful, hazy mess.</p><p>He knew the funeral was real.<br/>
Knew that Grian wouldn’t come back.</p><p>And yet...he kept hoping that it was all one bad dream.<br/>
Kept hoping that he’d turn around and see the crooked smile on a familiar face.</p><p>Stress was pulling his arm, leading him up the stairs, words tumbling from her mouth but none of them made any sense.<br/>
It was just noise. Meaningless noise.</p><p>He was sat down, food pushed in front of him. Stress gave Mumbo a pleading look, more noise spilling from her lips.<br/>
“Please, Mumbo. You gotta eat.”</p><p>He shook his head. He felt sick.<br/>
He pushed the food away.</p><p>The plate was pushed back towards him, Stress crossing her arms.<br/>
“Eat. You’ll feel better.”<br/>
Yes, she was stern about it, but it was the loving type. The kind with a softer voice and kindness poured into every action.</p><p>Mumbo ate.<br/>
Stress was right, he did feel marginally better, the taste of the mushroom stew slowly tying him back down to reality.<br/>
The spoon clattered into the empty wooden bowl. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Anytime, love.”</p><p>If Mumbo had to guess, Doc told Xisuma everything that happened last night. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him, and while he understood why, it was disheartening to see his friends treat him like he was going to explode.<br/>
But he understood their caution.<br/>
How exactly do you approach the person who disappeared for months, only to return carrying a body, and clam up when asked what happened?</p><p>Simple- you don’t.</p><p>So he stayed holed up in Grian’s house with Grian’s body occupying the space rather than his laughter. </p><p>There was word of some people starting to pack up anyway. Sitting out here in the jungle with nothing to do left for a lot of time to think...and thinking often led to the grave on the jungle floor.<br/>
The others needed something to take their mind off of everything- so they planned to head back.</p><p>Of course- there was the nether portal Mumbo had built to get here, making the trip back home much easier than before.</p><p>It only took a few days for everyone to clear out.</p><p>Everyone except 2 people.</p><p>“Mumbo? You there?”</p><p>The redstoner looked up at the sound of Scars voice, bookmarking his spot in the book he was reading. “Yeah.”</p><p>“I, uhh. I was wondering if you were gonna come back or not. Since it’s just the two of us left here now, and I’m heading back now so I just...” The wizard trailed off, eyes darting about the place.</p><p>“I’ll come back with you. I- I’ve got my stuff sorted so...yeah. Yeah I’ll come back.” And indeed, the inside of the little house was mostly empty, Mumbos bag crammed full of whatever he could carry.<br/>
He also was carrying Grian again, the only difference was that there was a drawstring pouch on a long piece of leather cord around the pranksters neck.</p><p>Scar gave it a puzzled look but if Mumbo had anything to say on the matter, he didn’t spill it. “Ready?” </p><p>Mumbo nodded, gently tapping the door shut with his foot as he followed Scar on the long trip back to their jungle.</p><p>And everything would have gone perfectly.<br/>
Except dead bodies don’t cough and sputter for air.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes it’s a cliffhanger, but it’s a positive one I promise.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0052"><h2>52. Chapter 52</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Scar!” Mumbo sounded ecstatic and worried all at the same time, his voice wavering as he tried to piece together how Grian was suddenly alive.</p><p>The wizard turned around, met with a wide-eyed Mumbo kneeling over Grian, his hands holding the pranksters.<br/>“Scar, he’s <em>breathing</em>.”</p><p>The world stopped spinning for a moment, Scars mind reeling with how this was possible.<br/>“Mumbo- what’s in the bag?” He asked, kneeling on the rough bedrock and pointed to the necklace around Grian’s neck.</p><p>“A pink crystal Thorn handed me before we left. It’s been with him this entire time.”</p><p>Scar did a double take. “Pink?”</p><p>“Yeah, pink. Why does that matter?”</p><p>“Grian never told you, did he?” The wizard asked, tilting his head at Mumbo, who shook his head no.</p><p>“Crystals are classified by their colour. Certain colours can hold more magic than others- pink has the highest capacity and darker colours like brown hold the least.<br/>“Because of this, pink crystals are very rare and very valuable. Some people say that they can hold enough magic to bring a person back to life, earning them the name of ‘Respawn Crystals.’<br/>“To work properly, they need to be with the body at all times so the magic can slowly move from one vessel to the other.” Scar explained.</p><p>It clicked. The impact of what Thorn had given him.</p><p>Thorn gave him his friends life back.<br/>He could cry with happiness, all the yellow that vanished came rushing back in one giant, euphoric tidal wave.</p><p>“How do we tell the others?”</p><p>Scar smiled, adding a red crystal to the pouch. “Health boost. Should help speed up recovery. But I think we should show them.”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The floor felt like concrete. That was the first thing he noticed. It was rough and prickly and probably wouldn’t be nice to fall on.<br/>The second thing was the sound of voices from overhead, words slowly becoming clearer as time went on.<br/>Grian groaned as he slowly came to, blinking blearily at the two people peering down at him.<br/>Mumbo and Scar.<br/>“Show who what?”</p><p>He was smothered by Mumbo, the redstoners arms wrapped around Grian and his face buried in his shoulder, the sound of his laughter mixing with crying.<br/>“Hey Mumby. You look different.” He smiled as he glanced at the wings. </p><p>“A lots happened.” Mumbo replied as he sat back and wiped a few straggling tears from his face with a grin. “But now isn’t the time to talk about it. Think you can walk?”</p><p>“With help, maybe.” He tried to stand himself, wobbling a bit as he stood up.</p><p>“Scar? Can you send a message to the others?”</p><p>“Already on it, Mumbo.” The wizard nodded.</p><p>
  <em>Scar: Hey guys, Mumbo and I are on our way back now. Meet us in the shopping district? We have something to show you.</em>
</p><p>Which was met with various “okays” and “why?” to which the wizard responded with “please?”<br/>Which seemed to win over everyone else.</p><p>“Mind telling me what happened?”</p><p>Mumbo scooped up Grian, carrying him so he didn’t exhaust himself on the trek. “Sure, since it’s quite a long walk.”</p><p>And Grian smiled as Mumbo set words lose into the air, recounting for the second time in a week what happened after he found Grian’s body up to the moment they were in, ending the story with a cheeky smile down at the prankster in his arms.</p><p>Scar was thankful for the sound filling the silence. It made the walk a bit more bearable as the bedrock was bland and everywhere, the path back home laid out with torches.</p><p>Before long, the nether hub came into view and Mumbo set Grian down.<br/>Who whined.<br/>“Oh come on, G, it’s not that bad. I carried you most of the way.” He rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Fine, fine. I’ll walk.” Grian pouted, crossing his arms childishly.</p><p>“Ready to surprise the other hermits?” Mumbo asked Scar.<br/>It was agreed that they would go through first and let them be confused about where Grian was...since Mumbo was often with the prankster, seeing him without Grian would be jarring at first.<br/>Then Grian would walk through himself.</p><p>“As ready as I think I’ll ever be.” Scar replied, stepping into the portal alongside Mumbo.</p><p>“So...what did you wanna show us, Scar?” Doc asked when Mumbo and Scar appeared.</p><p>“Where’s Grian? Mumbo- did you leave him behind?” Xisuma spoke up.</p><p>“What? I- no! I would never. We uhh. He’s-“</p><p>Grian placed his hand on Mumbos shoulder reassuringly. “He’s right here.” He smiled at the group of hermits staring up at the portal.<br/>“Hi guys. Heard there was quite an adventure.”</p><p>Mumbo rolled his eyes. Damn that crooked smile and wild laugh.<br/>He thought he’d never hear it again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There’s 1 more chapter, but it’s an epilogue that’s set a little bit after where this chapter ends.</p><p>So while this is <em>technically</em> the end, there’s still the Promised Good Ending. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0053"><h2>53. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grian had to muffle his laugh as he snuck around Mumbos base looking for a place to hang the lantern. He had wrapped his hands in vines so the iron that made up the chain didn’t burn.<br/>And of course- the lantern being iron, Mumbo wouldn’t suspect Grian at all.<br/>He hoped.</p><p>After a few months of figuring out the new “normal” on the server, he was finally back to his usual shenanigans of finding new ways to mess with Mumbo.</p><p>Who was currently flitting about his base trying to figure out how best to build the massive arches.<br/>It took a long time for him to figure out how to fly, Mumbo wincing at the memory of crashing into walls and trees as he slowly learned.<br/>But he got better at it over time.<br/>Of course, he wasn’t good enough to rival Grian for the title of “Best Flier” but then again, no one could usurp the prankster in that regard.<br/>But Mumbo managed.<br/>At least he didn’t hurt himself nearly as much now.</p><p>Between building his base, he had been trying to figure out a way to be able to see redstone...the dust being red and all.<br/>It took a while to find a perfect modification, since most dyes came from flowers, which intrinsically had energy to them and made the redstone unstable.<br/>Until Grian suggested lapis to dye the redstone blue.</p><p>Well. It wasn’t exactly blue- more of a purple colour, but it still worked perfectly fine with the added benefit of being able to now <em>see</em> his circuits.</p><p>“Mumboooo!” Grian grinned, flying out of nowhere and landing gracefully on the ground.</p><p>“Hey G. What’s up? Did you break something.” </p><p>“Why is that what you go to first?” He pouted.</p><p>“Have you seen your track record.”</p><p>“Ok fair, but no- I didn’t break anything. Come on, follow me. I wanna show you something.” Grian tugged Mumbo’s arm in an attempt to get the redstoner (bluestoner?) to follow him.<br/>“It is a bit of a trip though. Think you can make it?”</p><p>“I think so, yeah. How far away is it?”</p><p>“That’s a secret!”</p><p>“You’re a menace, Grian.” Mumbo teased, gently elbowing the prankster. “Lead the way.”</p><p>And okay, it was a long flight, but Mumbo recognised the path, the lonely birch tree in the jungle coming into view after a long stretch of comfortable silence.</p><p>“Why are we back here?”</p><p>“Follow me.” Grian said, suddenly solemn. Though seeing your own grave would do that, so Mumbo couldn’t really blame him.</p><p>Grian landed on one of the rope bridges and Mumbo did the same before a set of hands covered the redstoners eyes.</p><p>“Wh-Grian!”</p><p>“Walk forward- no a little to the right. Ok there. Stop.” Grian instructed. He dropped his hands, letting Mumbo take in the view.</p><p>By no means was it the old door.</p><p>The one with the sun and the bamboo and the cat and the flower of life.<br/>It was something entirely new, the door to the house that hung in the vines painted with new details.<br/>A bumblebee, a potion bottle, a bunch of crystals surrounding a staff, slime blocks, a diamond sword, a flying anvil, a moustache- every single hermit had a mural.</p><p>Except Grian.<br/>Again.</p><p>Mumbo looked to Grian for an explanation </p><p>“I wanted you to paint the last one.” He said sheepishly, handing Mumbo some paints.</p><p>So Mumbo painted, forcing his brain to shut up and heart do the thinking.</p><p>And when he stepped back, it wasn’t a sun in the center, rather a pink crystal, painted to look like it was glowing faintly with small runes in the center.</p><p>He frowned slightly it, a few details off. But when he raised his arm to paint more, Grian pulled Mumbo back to look at the door as a whole.</p><p>“It’s perfect.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for sticking with me and this fic for so long.<br/>It makes me so incredibly happy that you all loved this as much as I did.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0054"><h2>54. Fun Facts/ Extra Tidbits</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a habit of ending things with little fun facts, so here you go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>* The person Grian remembers getting their wings torn off in chapter 8 is Taurtis. I don’t explicitly say it, but that’s who it’s intended to be.</p><p>* Had Grian been Unseelie, he would have been part of a deal to ensure peace. One of the Seelie court goes to the Unseelie and vice versa. Over time, he got used to being in a different court and willingly followed Thorn.</p><p>* Most of this fic was not planned! It was originally gonna be a one-shot and then my brain went “but what if it wasn’t?”</p><p>* Most of the lore on how the fae work I use is from a book series called “13 Treasures.”</p><p>* I wrote this in the notes app on my phone. Because AO3 is annoying to write in on mobile.</p><p>* The version you read is different from the version I have on my phone. I do a lot of the editing within AO3 itself.</p><p>* I foreshadow Mumbo being fae back in chapter 10. To my knowledge, no one caught this.</p><p>* “Normal” runes that Scar knows are the galactic alphabet. Fae runes are different, and the rune circle that Scar drew on Grians floor are neither fae nor galactic.</p><p>* In chapter 11, the food Grian prepares is just normal food. It’s not faerie food like some of you were suspecting.</p><p>* Grian replies to Mumbo’s “I have a brother?” with a past-tense rather than present tense in chapter 13. The reason he uses this is because technically, Mumbo’s family is the fae. As much as Grian acts human, he still sees Mumbo as a court faerie rather than having familial ties.</p><p>* I don’t say it explicitly, but its made very clear that Mumbo is a changeling.</p><p>* This fic stole plot points from another fic I had planned. The other fic would have been a Watcher AU called “Trust me, I’m Lying.” I still might write it, but it’ll be vastly different from what I originally planned.</p><p>* Most of the lore is only said once so I’m not repeating myself. It’s only repeated if it’s an important plot point</p><p>* There is actually a cover for this fic! If you search it up on Wattpad, you can find the image.</p><p>* I get really anxious every time I post a chapter because I’m worried that you guys won’t like it. Or hate me for suddenly switching who I’m narrating. Or both.</p><p>* I have never figured out a way to describe this in the fic, so imma do it here- Grian’s wings (and the fae as a whole) do not magically clip through clothes. Think like a halter top? Their shirts are like that. Which is why Grian swapped for his old blue sweater which had the wing accommodation, and his red one had hand-cut slits in it.</p><p>* For some unknown reason, I have a Korean keyboard on my phone. Half the time when I’m tying this, I accidentally swap to the Korean one and have to backspace several sentences.</p><p>* I do not speak, read or write Korean. sERIOUSLY WHY IS THIS KEYBOARD HERE??</p><p>* I typically post updates between midnight and 4am in my time zone. Yes I’m aware I need to sleep. No I will not actually sleep because this fic has taken over my life.</p><p>* A LOT of lore is in my replies on your comments. My replies are generally elaborating on things I won’t get a chance to explain within the fic itself, so if you want more world building, have fun parsing through the hundreds of comments. I do recommend it tho. You’re missing a lot of you don’t.</p><p>* I tend to write each chapter in one sitting.</p><p>* I read my own fic to remember what the hell you lot actually know and what plot points I forgot. I forgot Mumbo has magic and Iskall has Grians sweater until I wrote chapter 33.</p><p>* Grian doesn’t actually know the names of the Evo members. He just knows their nicknames. I drop their names so that you guys know who I’m on about lmao.</p><p>* I pretty much uploaded about 35 chapters almost daily before I had to take a break.</p><p>* The murals on Grians door that I listed off were Nettys, PauseUnpause, and SalemsLady. Netty is the bamboo, Pause is the feather and Salem is the cat.</p><p>* On chapter 43, I could not for the life of me, decide if I wanted to kill off Grian or not. So I left it as a cliffhanger while I weighed my options.</p><p>* For those of you who don’t know where “Viva” came from- it’s an old name that Mumbo used for himself. Check his earliest videos</p><p>* Mumbos mural is the flower of life because “Viva” means life. That’s literally it.</p><p>* All of the chapters are written in one note on my phone. I did not expect to get to 50+ chapters and I regret this decision bc now I have to scroll a LONG way down.</p><p>* The colour yellow became an accidental symbol. It’s for happiness, if you couldn’t tell.</p><p>* A MUCH more subtle one is the crystals. They are hope.</p><p>* Mumbos wings (again) do not magically clip through his shirt. Lemur found him and cut the slits. Why do I not mention it in the fic? Because I’m bad at getting details in while also getting it to flow right.</p><p>* I kept debating if I should revive Grian or not. I decided to revive him because I said that this is not a permadeath AU in a comment, and that this fic would have a positive ending.</p><p>* For the hermits, this fic (sans the epilogue) takes about 5 months. For Grian and Mumbo, it was 7 months- 3 months with the hermits, 4 months in the fae realm.</p><p>* I was planning to have a battle scene where Mumbo escapes with Grian, but it didn’t fit so I cut it and went with what you have now. </p><p>* If you haven’t figured it out yet, the playlist is sorta a timeline of events. I had to change and remove some songs since I cut the battle idea.</p><p>* It was important for me to keep “Fly Away” by TheFatRat at the end of the playlist because it’s such an uplifting song and it’s exactly what Grian would say to Mumbo. </p><p>* If you’re wondering just exactly how Grian is saved, remember the crystal Thorn gave Mumbo? And how Lemur said “energy seeks a place to reside in?” Yeah. The energy from the crystal slowly transferred into Grian. Osmosis! :D</p><p>* I keep the last line “It’s perfect.” ambiguous as to who said it. It doesn’t matter who said it in the end, but you get slightly different meanings as to if Mumbo, Grian, or someone entirely different said it.</p><p>* Mumbo is neither seelie nor unseelie. As a child, he was partially fae and seen as lower than a full faerie. As an adult, he left too soon to really pick a side.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey thanks for reading!</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897194">Fight or Flight</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaStarSeeker/pseuds/LunaStarSeeker">LunaStarSeeker</a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30795032">Everything Stays (But it still Changes)</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cairo_Raiser545/pseuds/Cairo%20but%20Oneshots">Cairo but Oneshots (Cairo_Raiser545)</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</div></div></div>
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